


Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D in Training

by Doyoureallycare



Series: Skyler May Coulson [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Dad Coulson, Don't ask me why, F/M, Family, Parent Melinda May, Parent Phil Coulson, Season one but Skye is Coulson and May's daughter, Teen Skye, They're keeping it a secret though, mama may
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24773074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doyoureallycare/pseuds/Doyoureallycare
Summary: 17-year-old Skyler May Coulson is supposed to be at boarding school, but instead, she's living in a van, working for the Rising Tide. When Phil Coulson and his team find her on their first mission, Skye's life changes when her father decides to add her to the team. Now, Skye is training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and learning that no matter how close you are to the other agents, there will always be secrets.
Relationships: Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Series: Skyler May Coulson [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779184
Comments: 34
Kudos: 225





	1. The Start of a New Life

**September 8, 2013**

Skye sat in her van surveying the building she expected Centipede was working out of while also working on her S.H.I.E.L.D. post for the Rising Tide. Suddenly, the top floor of the building exploded, making her hop out of the vehicle and start recording. Skye was shocked when a hooded man jumped out of one of the windows while carrying an injured woman. Asphalt crumbled around his feet when he landed in front of her. Skye was able to get a good look at the man's face before he tugged his hood down and ran. She was torn between running after him and staying with the woman he had placed on the ground, Skye decided to stay. 

Once the paramedics took over the woman's care, Skye went back to her van and posted the video of the man. Within the hour, it had gone viral. The six o'clock news dubbed him the Hooded Hero—terrible name. The next morning, Skye saw the man walking down the street and following him to the diner around the corner from her van. She tried convincing him that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be coming for him, but he didn't believe her. It wasn't for nothing, though, Skye was able to grab his driver's license. She now knew his name was Mike Peterson and where he lived. She'd wait to see if he came to her first. Now, she was in the back of her van, working on the voice-over for her S.H.I.E.L.D. post.

"The secret is out. For decades, your organization stayed in the shadows, but now we know. They're among us- heroes- and monsters. The world is full of wonders. We can't explain everything we see, but our eyes are open. So, what now? There are no more shadows for you to hide in. Something impossible just happened. What are you going to do about it? How will you come at us? From the air? From the ground? How will you silence us this time? How can you? The truth is in the wind. It's everywhere. You cannot stop the Rising Tide. You will not find us. You will never see our faces, but rest assured- we will rise against those who shield us from the truth. And nothing, _nothing_ can stop us in the-" Skye was cut off by her van door being slid open. A suited man stood there. She turned to him and smiled, "Hey. What up?" He threw a bag over Skye's head and pulled her out of the van. She was transported to a different location before she was being pushed into a chair. "You are making a big mistake," Skye told the man when the hood was snatched off. 

"You don't look that big," he replied. The man sat down across from her and seemed to be studying her. "What's your name?" Skye contemplated lying, but the senior agent of this team (of course, she knew this was S.H.I.E.L.D.) most likely knew who she was, and might even be one of her aunts or uncles, so she told him the truth. 

"Skye," she answered. The agent looked at her skeptically. 

"What's your real name?" he questioned. She looked at him, confused. 

"I just told you, it's Skye,” she told him again.

"How old are you?" That one, she had no problem lying about. 

"21."

"Really? You don't look 21."

"I get that a lot. I've always looked younger than I am. It's a curse now, but I'm sure I'll be thrilled when I am 45 and look 30." The man continued to examine her. He looked like he was going to say something, but he was cut off by the door opening and another man entering the room. The second man turned around, and Skye was shocked to find her father, Phillip Coulson, standing by the door. What was he doing here? Skye thought no one was supposed to know he was alive. Her dad seemed to be just as shocked to see her sitting there. His shock was quickly masked. 

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, coming over to the table. The first man stood so her father could sit. "Where are we, Agent Ward?" 

"Just started, sir," Agent Ward answered, "Supposedly, her name is Skye- didn't get a last name, and she's 21." Her dad gave her a look but just continued to act professionally.

"You'll have to forgive, Ward. "He's had some history with your group- the Rising Tide," Skye told herself to stay calm. She could lie to this parent. He'd believe her. It was Mama that knew her tells, not Dad. 

"I don't know... what you're-" Skye was interrupted by Ward.

"Okay, there are two ways we can do this," he threatened, and Skye wanted to laugh. 

"Oh, is one of them the easy way?" she joked.

"No," he answered. 

"What's the Hooded Hero's name?" Phil asked. 

"What makes you think I know that?" she asked.

"Well, you made a little mistake," Phil replied, "The phone you filmed the Hooded Hero with had the same cryptographic signature as a few of the Rising Tide posts."

"Wow, yeah. Was that a mistake? Or am I now sitting in the center of your secret headquarters? What is this? A plane?" Skye smirked, "I got inside. And by now, your techs have discovered you can't beat the encryption on my equipment, so you have nothing."

"You were there when the building blew," Ward jumped in, "How did you know the hooded man was in the building? Did you blow it up to draw him out?"

"Did you?" Skye questioned.

"You know that's not S.H.I.E.L.D.'s style, Skye," Dad reprimanded. 

"I was just _kidnapped_ by your 'style.' S.H.I.E.L.D. covered up New Mexico and Project Pegasus. Of course, you guys would be covering up Centipede!" Ward stepped behind Skye, and he and her dad seemed to have a silent conversation, "Holy- No way!" Skye couldn't help but chuckle, "You don't know what that is. Billions of dollars of equipment at your disposal, and I beat you with a laptop that I got as a birthday gift." 

"Skye," Phil said, "You need to think about your friend. We're not the only ones interested in people with powers. Yeah, we'd like to contain him. The next guy will want to exploit him, and the guy after that will want to dissect him." Ward appeared over her shoulder. 

"What is Centipede?" Ward growled. Skye got out of the chair and started to pace.

"It was chatter on the web, and then gone. I traced the access point Mac address to that building. The one that blew up."

"What were you after?" Ward continued his questioning. 

"The truth," Skye answered, "What are you after?"

"World peace," the man answered, but for some reason, Skye didn't believe him, "You pseudo-anarchist hacker types love to stir things up, but you're never around for the fallout. People keep secrets for a reason, _Skye_ ," he said, getting in her face. Skye started poking at his chest when she replied. 

"Well, just because you're reasonable and...firm...doesn't mean that you're not an evil, faceless government tool bag."

"Just give us your guy's name!" Ward yelled. 

"He's not my guy!" Skye argued.

"Skye, you understand he's in danger," her dad broke up their bickering.

"Then, let me go!" Skye proposed, "Let _me_ talk to him. Me! Not the T-1000 here. Please, he's not going to talk to this guy, but he'll talk to me!" Her dad was quiet for a few moments, and Skye thought she had won. But then he spoke.

"Agent Ward," he said, "would you give us a moment? I need to speak to her alone. Check-in on the rest of the team?"

"Yes, sir." Ward exited the room, and Skye wanted him to come back.

"Skyler, I am so upset with you right now," Phil said, and Skye knew she was in deep shit. Her dad _never_ used her legal name. "I can't get into how upset I am that you are here in the first place, and believe me, we will be having that conversation later. Along with the one about why you are living in a van and apart of a hacktivist group instead of at school. Right now, we are going to talk about why you are fighting me on this. Give us the man's name so we can help." Skye crossed her arms and looked away.

"Let me talk to him, Dad! You don't have to detain him!"

"You know why I can't do that, Skye! You're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and you are a child, I am not going to send you in, alone, to a situation that could end very poorly."

"He's a nice guy. He wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"That you know of! You're not going, Skyler! That's Final. Now give me what you have." Skye sat back in her chair and glared at her father. 

"I'm not a child anymore, Dad," she told him, "I'm not going to admit what I did, or give you what I have just because you yelled at me." Dad raised his eyebrow and moved to the door.

"You seem to be acting an awful lot like a child right now," he said, "Maybe you would benefit from a time out." With that, the man left the room. Skye huffed and rolled her eyes. 

* * *

Skye wasn't sure how long she'd been alone in the interrogation room, but it felt like forever. She jumped slightly when the door opened. She relaxed when she saw it was her dad with one of his soft smiles.

"C'mon," he said, "I've got something I want to show you." Skye followed her father out through the plane. The new room was in the center of the aircraft and looked like the command centers she had been in when she'd gone to work with her dad when she was younger. There was a large screen on the wall with different types of information on it. There was also a touchscreen table that was also displaying several different things. 

"Quite the setup here, Dad," Skye complimented, "Where's Agent Ward?"

"Training," Dad replied, "Let's get to the point. I want you to see this." He swiped at something on the table, and a news segment appeared on the screen in front of them. They were reporting on an attack at a factory. It showed security footage of Mike Peterson attacking the foreman. 

"This is wrong," Skye shook her head, "This is not... the guy I met- He was- He just needs a break."

  
"Then give him one, Angel," her dad told her, "What do you have?" Skye sighed and told her father about the license she had swiped and hid in her van. "Thank you, Honey. Don't think you're off the hook about what you have been doing. We're going to have a _long_ talk later. 

The rest of her dad's team returned to the plane not long after he found the driver's license. Dad called them to join him and Skye in the command center. There, Skye was introduced to a young man and woman that her dad said were the team's scientists: Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons. They were not that much older than Skye herself, she thought. When the final member of the group entered the room, Skye froze, and her stomach dropped. There, in the doorway, was her mother, Melinda May, and she looked livid. Skye was a mix of scared and confused. Why was her mother on this team? She'd retired from fieldwork years ago. 

"Agent May,” Phil said, "This is the hacker from the Rising Tide. She's helping us find the Hooded Hero." Melinda glanced her way and back to her father before going to stand at the table. Her dad briefed the team on what he had learned about Mike before throwing it to Fitz. The young man had apparently found a security camera in the building's remains and had been able to gather some footage. The photo he showed them was of a man yelling at another man in a lab coat. 

"What are we seeing?" Melinda questioned.

"Well, the man is angry at the other man," Fitz explained in a Scottish accent, and everyone in the room stared at him. 

"The data is very corrupt," Simmons explained in a British accent. 

"Yeah, like Cold War Russia, corrupt," Fitz scoffed, and Simmons agreed. "I- I can't sync the timecode without-"

"What if you had the audio?" Skye interrupted, "I was... running surveillance on the lab. I had my shotgun mic pointed at the window before the blast. The digital file's in my van. There's too much background noise for me, but you could probably-" Simmons cut her off.

"You can clean that up, can't you?" she asked Fitz, "Find a sync point and use cross-field validation to find-" Fitz cut her off there, and the other three watched them bounce ideas off each other before they both turned to Skye and asked for the audio.

"Your van's here, but you were right. We couldn't decrypt the files,” her dad told her, and Skye nodded. 

"The encryption's coupled to the GPS. Get my van back to that alley, and I am in business," she said proudly and started for the door. 

"Agent May will escort you," Phil ordered, and her mother followed after her. "On your way out, send up Agent Ward." Her mother caught up to her as they walked and grabbed her arm. 

"Zài túzhōng, nín kěyǐ jiěshì wèishéme yīzhí xiàng suǒyǒu rén sāhuǎng (On the way, you can explain why you've been lying to everyone),” Skye’s mother hissed in her ear. The older woman sent the younger agent upstairs, and mother and daughter climbed into the van. They drove in silence for a few minutes before her mother spoke again, "How long have you been a part of the Rising Tide? And don't even _think_ about lying again." Skye was quiet for a moment before she replied.

"My first post was in January," she told her mother quietly. She had been feeling guilty about lying to her parents since she started doing it, but she knew they would never allow her to continue making the world a better place. Even if it wasn't the way, she had initially hoped. "I just kept going after that." Her mother sighed heavily, and Skye knew she was trying to stay calm. 

"And what about school? It looks like you've been living in this van rather than the dorm I paid for. Did you drop out of high school, Skyler?"

"No," Skye scoffed, "Of course I didn't drop out of school, Mama. I'm just doing my classes online." 

"What!?!?" Melinda exclaimed, and Skye flinched, "How did you even set that up without your father and I knowing?!? The parents are supposed to sign off on things like that!" Skye looked down. 

"I hacked into the school's records and set myself up. I forged all of the documentation. I used the money for my dorm to buy the van. I'm sorry, Mama. I felt bad lying to you and Dad. I really did, but my need to help is bigger than that." Her mom sighed again; this one different than the last. Skye wasn't quite sure what it meant. 

"Bǎobèi," Melinda said softly, "I know you want to help people, and you were eager to get started, but there is a reason your father and I, as well as Uncle Fury, want you to finish high school, at least, before you join S.H.I.E.L.D. And that reason is, you are still a child, our child, and we want to keep you safe. What if it hadn't been us that connected you to that video? What if you had been kidnapped by anyone else? No one would have known." 

"I'm sorry, Mama," Skye apologized again, "I didn't think abou-" 

"No," her mother interrupted, "No, you didn't think, Skyler. And you are far too smart to not be doing that." Melinda pulled the van into the alley, parked, unbuckled, and turned to Skye, "I'm going to keep watch. You send Fitz your sound file."

"I really am sorry, Mama," Skye said before her mother could exit the vehicle. 

"I'm sure you are, Skye, but all is not forgiven. Now get working." Skye called the S.H.I.E.L.D. engineer, and they talked as she worked. Fitz made a few awkward comments before hanging up on her. Skye finished up her work and was telling her mom that she was done when Mike dropped from above. Skye watched as the man threw her mother into the wall. 

"Mike!" Skye yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Saving you," Mike replied, "From the scary men in dark suits. And you're gonna save us."

"Us?" Mike reached out and pulled a little boy into Skye's view. She sighed.

"Don't cry," the man told his son as he placed him in the van, "Okay? Stay strong for me, Ace." Skye moved so Mike could fit in the back of the van as well. "What are we?"

"We're a team," Ace answered. 

"That's right," Mike agreed before turning to Skye and demanding, "Now drive." He slammed the van door, and Skye crawled into the driver's seat to start the engine. She drove them to Union Station, where she used their free WIFI to erase Mike Peterson from the DMV database and hacking into her father's plane to give them her coordinates. She had to stall until S.H.I.E.L.D. could arrive. 

When her dad did arrive, Mike grew angry. He broke the door off the side of the van and took her into the train station. As Mike pulled Ace and Skye through the busy building, she caught sight of a group of men and got an idea of how to escape. As they passed, Skye kicked one of them in between the legs, making him fall to the ground in pain. 

"You're right! He _is_ a little bitch!" Skye proclaimed, and the friends of the fallen man rushed toward them to fight. When Mike let go of Skye's arm, she ran away. Unfortunately, Mike was able to quickly defeat the group, and the door she had run to was locked. Mike grabbed her again, and someone shot at them, making him break down the door and pull her up the stairs. 

"You've got to stop!" Skye yelled as she ripped her arm away. They were in an empty area of the station. "These people can help you!"

"The men in suits? They're you, buddies, now?" Mike questioned agitatedly, "Where'd they take my son?!" Mike grabbed her arm again and started pulling again. They stopped at the railing overlooking the main entrance. When someone shot at them again, Mike pushed Skye down and watched as he fell over the banister. Skye looked over to where the shot came from and saw the police officer was reloading, but her mother appeared and knocked him out. Skye got up and ran to hug her mother. 

"Are you okay?" Skye asked, her voice cracking. Melinda hugged her tighter. 

"I'm fine, Baby. Are you okay?" Melinda pulled away to check her daughter over. Skye nodded. "Good. Come on, let's go make sure your father doesn't get blown up." The pair ran down to where her father was trying to talk Mike down, and it seemed to be working. Mike was calmer than he had been before. Then, there was a sound, and the man fell to the ground. Simmons ran by and crouched next to him. When she gave them all a smile, Skye took a breath of relief. Mike was okay.

* * *

**September 12, 2013**

"Skye, the post you were working on when we found you is about S.H.I.E.L.D., can I ask why you wanted to out us? I thought you wanted to join us?” Phil asked. Skye had spent the last hour getting yelled at by both of her parents. The three of them were in her dad's office in the plane, and it was decorated with all of his vintage knick-knacks. 

"I've always wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D., but I don't think I spend my life lying to people," Skye answered, "I mean, I can't even call Uncle Clint or Aunt Nat because I might accidentally let slip that Dad's alive. I grew up with my parents having one of the coolest jobs in the world, and I couldn't even tell anyone! I don't know how you guys do it." Both of her parents gave her sympathetic smiles.

"It is hard," Mama told her, "It's a skill you have to practice to get better at, and after lying to us for the last month, I have to admit, you've gotten good at it." Skye grinned. "But don't think about lying to us again, young lady." Skye nodded.

"I won't, Mama."

"Skye," her dad said, getting her attention, "I'd like to offer you a place on the team." Skye looked shocked, and her mom looked annoyed. "Think of it as a trial run. If you like it, and you finish your schooling, you can attend the academy next fall." 

"Really?" Skye asked her mom, and the woman nodded, "Can I think about it?" Her dad nodded before standing. 

"Sure. Let's go. I promised CPS I would get Ace to his aunt's house this afternoon." Skye followed her father down the spiral staircase to the sitting area where Fitz and Simmons were keeping the little boy occupied. There, the three of them piled into Dad's red, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, named Lola. He drove them to a farmhouse that belonged to Mike's sister, Mindy. Skye told the little boy goodbye and that his dad would be there to pick him in no time. 

"I told him his father was coming home," Skye said as she and Dad made their way back to the car.

"He will," Phil replied, "We have some experience with that." Skye smiled, her parents always came home, even after her dad died and recuperated in Tahiti. 

"He almost blew. We almost died."

"We have some experience with _that_ too."

" _That_ was never part of the plan. You don't have it _all_ mapped out."

"True. We didn't cut off the head of the Centipede. Whoever sponsored that little experiment is still out there, among other things." 

"It's a brave new world. And a really old car."

"Lola can keep up."

"Can I drive her back?"

"No." Skye had never been allowed to drive the vintage car. It had been the _only_ rule her father had truly enforce when it came time for her to start driving. As they got in, he asked, "Have you thought about the offer?"

"Hitching a ride on the crazy plane? I'm not exactly a team player, you know."

"We're not exactly a team, but we're in a position to do some good. You'd be a great help. And you'd be front-row, center at the strangest show on Earth, which is, after all, what you've always wanted. Plus, I'd get to keep an eye on you- make sure you stay out of trouble."

"What? You don't think I can take care of myself in my van?" Her dad's cell phone ringing stopped his reply. 

"Go," he answered.

"Sir," Ward said, "We have an 0-8-4."

"Is that confirmed?" her dad asked. 

"They want _us_ to go in and confirm it." 

"What's an 0-8-4?" Skye asked once the call ended. Phil started the car. 

"You've got exactly ten minutes to decide if you really want to know," he told her, and Skye scoffed.

"Dad, there's no way we can make it to the airfield-" Her father flipped a switch, and Lola started to make a whirring sound. Then, the car began hovering. "What? Has it always done this?!"

"The tide is rising,” her dad told her before racing off. 


	2. First Day on the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye's first mission with the team

**September 12, 2013**

Skye and her father returned to the airfield, and Skye got to work on packing her things from the van. All of her clothes fit into her duffle bag and backpack. Her laptop and other equipment fit into a single box. As she stepped away, she took a good, final look at the rusty, blue vehicle. She'd been living in it for a month, and she was happy to be getting rid of it. It had started to smell. Skye walked up the cargo ramp, and Simmons and Fitz greeted her. Fitz took her box, and Simmons led Skye up the spiral staircase. 

"Officially, it's called an Airborne Mobile Command Station," Fitz explained as they walked into the common area, "But _we_ call it the Bus. We find it best to use shorthand when in the field. But everything has to be just so, you know, because of the danger." 

"Yeah, I've been up here before," Skye told him, "but I didn't see much because of the bag that Agent Ward put over my head. And then I didn't really get to look around since I was talking my way out of being arrested, so...yeah." Simmons gave her a sympathetic smile. 

"Wheels up in two," Melinda said over the intercom, "Lock it or lose it." 

"That means we're leaving," Simmons told her and Skye nodded. She couldn't tell them that she knew that. Her dad had told her to keep all of their relationships a secret and to continue letting the team think she was a 21-year-old hacktivist.

"Fitz," Simmons said, "Let's find a bunk for our guest." The two scientists rushed forward.

"Oh, oh, yeah," Fitz said, "There's only one left, and it's right next to mine." He put her box on a bed and awkwardly got out of her way. Skye put down her bag, and when she turned around, she found Ward standing in front of her. 

"Hey," Skye greeted, "I know we didn't really-" Ward handed her a pamphlet, and cut her off.

"Might want to read that," he said, "This isn't like other planes." He walked away, and Skye opened the pamphlet and found the map with all of the emergency exits for the Bus.

"You can say that again," she mumbled. 

"Say what again?" her dad asked as he approached her. 

"Sweet ride, Dad," she told him quietly, looking around, making sure no one else was around. No one was.

"Well, your uncle likes me, plus he felt bad that I died," Phil told told her. 

"Yeah, but he already sent you to Tahiti," Skye scoffed, "I didn't realize he liked you that much." 

"It's a magical place," Phil said as though that was reason Fury had sent him to the island. 

"You've mentioned that." The two of them sat down on the small couch right outside her bunk. 

"Buckle up." 

"I don't even know where we're going." The overhead lights turned off, and Skye started buckling herself into the seat.

"Peru," her dad answered, "That's where the 0-8-4 was reported."

"And an 0-8-4 is...?" 

"An object of unknown origin."

"Kind of like me." Father and daughter shared a playful look. Her parents had always been honest with her about her adoption. They always joked that the only mystery they couldn't solve was where she came from. Skye thought back to the file she’d stumbled upon when she had hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. She really was an 0-8-4.

"Yeah. Team goes in, determines if it's useful or if it poses a threat. The last one turned out to be pretty interesting."

"And what was the last one?"

"A hammer."

* * *

Skye took a deep breath before knocking in the door of the cockpit. The Bus had been in the air for over an hour, and the teen was bored. Her dad had gone to his office once they were in the air, FitzSimmons were in the lab, and Skye didn't really _want_ to know what Ward was doing, so this was her only option. Once she had the okay, Skye slid into the cockpit.

"Hi, Mama," she said apprehensively. The last she knew, her mother wasn't all that thrilled with her or that Skye was joining them on the Bus.

"Hi, Bǎobèi," Melinda greeted, never taking her eyes off the sky, "What are you doing up here?"

"I'm bored," Skye whined slightly as she sat in the copilot's seat. The mother glared at her.

"You wouldn't be so bored if you had stayed in school." Skye looked down.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.

"No. Currently, I'm more upset about your father's decision to add you to this team. You're too young to be apart of S.H.I.E.L.D., and you aren't trained to be in the field."

"You've been training me since I could walk," Skye pointed out. 

"That was simple self-defense, Honey. That's not enough. I don't need you getting hurt out there."

"So, what? You were going to leave me in L.A. living in a van?" Skye joked, and her mom smirked.

"Oh, no. Aunt Maria was going to pick you up and take you to Nǎinai's house." The 17-year-old's eyes bugged, and her mother chuckled, "You're pretty happy Dad won the argument, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"Why don't you go back to your bunk and work on some of that online schoolwork I'm sure you've been avoiding."

"Okay," Skye sighed, standing up to leave. Melinda grabbed her arm. 

"Hēi, wǒ ài nǐ, Bǎobèi (Hey, I love you, Baby)."

"Wǒ yě ài nǐ (I love you too)," Skye said before exiting the cockpit. She sat in her bunk, working on her English assignment until they landed in Peru. Once on-site, Skye stuck close to her father while Ward checked tire tracks, her mom parked the SUV, and FitzSimmons geeked out over the local wildlife. As they walked, she talked. 

"We should warn the people who live around here if the 0-8-4 is dangerous," Skye told her father, "They're already dealing with anti-mining rebels and the Shining Path Guerillas I could post something." 

"Remember the panic when that anti-matter meteor splashed down just off the coast of Miami? Nearly devoured the city?" Phil asked. 

"No."

"Precisely. Because we kept it quiet and contained."

"So, what am I doing?"

"Well, if it gets out of hand, I might need you to create some kind of diversion. Put the public on the wrong scent."

"So, _everything_ that I'm against."

“Yep," her dad replied before walking away.

"Nǎinai's place is starting to sound better," Skye mumbled to herself. She followed the archeologist, her dad, and the scientists into the Incan temple, where there was a piece of machinery stuck in the rock wall. She started searching the web for anything about or like it and found nothing. This was so cool. 

Something was going on that pulled Phil outside of the temple. That left Skye with Fitz and Simmons, who only seemed to speak in advanced science babble. She had no idea what they were saying, she barely understood science in school. Skye was going to leave before it could get any more awkward, but Ward arrived and told them the National Police had come.

They started packing up FitzSimmons' gear after an explosion outside. Another explosion had Ward pulling the device out of the wall and shoving it into a duffle bag, which he put on Fitz's back. The three youngest team members followed Ward out of the temple and walked right into the gunfire. They cowered in the doorway of the temple until Melinda saved them all by driving between them and the rebels. She drove very fast back to the Bus, but they were still being shot at. Once all six members of the team, along with some of the Peruvian officers, were on board, they closed the ramp. 

"I gotta say it," Skye panted, "I miss my van."

* * *

In the air, Skye watched as Simmons had a mental breakdown while she handled the 0-8-4 and Ward and Fitz bickered back and forth. The two men were yelling at each other when her dad entered. 

"Do we have a problem in here?" Phil asked. 

"No, sir," Ward answered, "Just working on our communication. Not everyone was prepared for firefight."

"We got out, didn't lose anyone, saved a few of theirs," Phil said, "I'd say we did all right. Anything else?" Skye raised her hand. 

"Uh, yeah. I have a small question. Because I've been feeling like the tagalong, hayseed rookie, but now I get the sense that Ward doesn't know which one's Simmons and which one's Fitz, and they've seen even less gunfire than me. And I'm no rocket scientist, but is this your first mission together?"

"No," Jemma scoffed, "Of course not. It's out second." 

"I was your first?" Skye joked, "How sweet."

"Are you amused?" Ward asked. 

"I'm terrified!" Skye yelled, "I am in _way_ over my head, but I have been on this team just as long as any of you. I might as well be team captain." Simmons laughed, and her dad glared at her. "I was joking, but maybe that's not a bad idea, because these guys do not like each other much." 

"This isn't about that," Ward seethed before turning to Phil, "I'm a specialist. Today, I could have eliminated the enemy threat myself if I was working alone, but I had non-combat ready agents-"

"Whoa, whoa. Wait," Fitz cut him off, "You work alone?"

"So typical," Simmons jumped in, and she and Fitz started yelling at Ward. Skye moved to stand next to her father. 

"See them proving the point I just made," Skye whispered to her father.

"You're not wrong," he replied loudly. Getting everyone else's attention, "We still need to iron out the kinks. But Ward, you can speak six languages, Simmons, you have two PhDs in fields I can't pronounce, and Fitz, you _are_ a rocket scientist. So work it out." With that, Phil exited the lab. He was probably going to talk with the Comandante Camilla Reyes, who he seemed to know and have a history with. 

"I-I'm- I'm good at stuff too!" Skye called after him. After he left, Skye went to her bunk and did some school work before going out to the lounge area. Agent Ward was sitting on one of the couches reading a book. She made a stop at the fully stocked bar to grab a bottle of booze and glasses before going over to the man. 

" _Hunger Games?_ " she joked. 

" _Matterhorn,_ " the agent replied. "One of a hundred books, my S.O. gave me that I'm just getting around to." Skye was curious. S.O.'s gave out reading lists? She couldn't remember her mother ever assigning books to the agents she trained. Ward must have thought she didn't know what he was talking about because he said, "S.O.- Supervising Officer." She nodded. 

"Got it," she said, "Hackers have lingo too, but I'll pick yours up. I feel like you and me, wrong foot. Can I..." Skye held up the bottle, "buy you a drink?" Ward chuckled and nodded, "What I said before- When I said the uprising was- Whatever I said, a good thing,” she sat on the coffee table across from him, "I don't want you to think I'm oblivious. What I was talking about was the tweets."

"Tweets," he stated, "You trying to make things better or worse?"

"Peruvians have organized for the first time in decades. Thousands of suffering people who have never met uniting over a common idea? It's mind-blowing. And I don't want to bring it up because I don't want to see your hate face, but... that's what the Rising Tide is all about." Ward looked confused.

"Okay."

"Usually, one person doesn't have the solution. But 100 people with one percent of the solution- That'll get it done. I think that's beautiful- Pieces solving a puzzle." Ward reached for one of the drinks she had poured. What her parents didn't know wouldn't kill them, and Ward thought she was 21 anyway.

"You and I see the world differently is all."

"I've never been in a warzone during a war until today. That was crazy. I take it you've seen that a lot?" Ward sighed and took a drink. As he leaned forward to put down the glass, Skye saw bloodstains on his white t-shirt, "Wh- Did you get shot?"

"Skin deep. Nothing to worry about," Ward waved Skye off.

"You got shot. Did that happen protecting us?"

"Said, don't worry about it."

"Well, no wonder you were so pissed."

"I wasn't pissed. I was trained to be the whole solution to eliminate variables. And today," he glanced over to the Peruvian officers playing card, "they keep adding up." Skye felt the plane shift.

"We're turning," she observed.

"We've entered restricted airspace, so we have to follow certain flight paths. Regulation. This plane is capable of fully automated flight, but May had to be on the stick herself tonight." Skye chuckled.

"You've got an S.O., May's got to be on the stick. Lots of good lingo on this plane."

"Yeah. We just can't seem to understand each other." The conversation lagged then. The two of them just enjoying their drinks. Ward continuing to eye the officers across from them. "Skye, hand me the bottle."

"Okay, Turbo, but you're still nursing the one you got."

"I'm not the only one," Ward commented as he took the bottle. Ward pushed Skye out of the way as the other two men started to attack. She watched as he punched and threw them around the plane. When her dad and the Comandante came from his office, they all stopped. On one of the security monitors, they saw that Fitz was being held by one of the officers with a knife at his throat. Another man, one of the card players, grabbed Skye by her arms. She and Ward were taken down to the cargo bay where they were tied to the ramp along with Fitz, Simmons, and her mom, who was unconscious. Skye was thrilled when the woman woke up, and the others seemed relieved as well. Together, the five of them came up with a plan. 

The plan started with her mother dislocating her wrist to free herself. Melinda took out the military officer that was guarding them. Once they were all free, her mom drove the SUV through the lab doors. While Fitz sent one of his tiny drones that he and Simmons called the "Dwarfs" through the vent system, Skye, Ward, and Jemma gathered rope and other supplies. The three youngest team members tied themselves together before Fitz tied had the drone to have the 0-8-4 blow a hole in the side of the plane depressurizing and letting the door slide open. Ward fought off the souldiers while Skye and Simmons fetched the device, Fitz staying back to pull them back. While the young women waited to be reeled back in, something flew into Skye's face. It was the security pamphlet, and it gave her an idea. Skye unbuckled herself from the other two and crawled to the closest emergency kit. She pulled out the inflatable raft and took it close to the hole in the plane. She inflated it just in time to catch Ward from flying out. Phil punched the last soldier and ended the fight for the aircraft. 

"I read the safety pamphlet," Skye huffed after she helped Ward to his feet.

"I think you might be the first," Ward replied. The two of them joined FitzSimmons and her dad at the bar. 

"No other way in, huh?" Phil asked, "I was just starting to warm up to this place."

They took the 0-8-4 to a S.H.I.E.L.D base called the Slingshot. The base was in the middle of the desert, and it didn't look like much. Also, while they were there, the plane was being cleaned up and fixed. Skye descended the stairs to the cargo hold where her mom and Ward were repacking supplies while her dad examined Lola.

"Not a scratch, but your plane is totaled," Skye observed, "I hope S.H.I.E.L.D. insurance covers hijackings."

"Sure," her dad replied, "Under incidentals." Skye chuckled. She looked over to be sure Ward wasn't paying attention.

"Dad, what exactly am I signing up for?"

"Like I said. Front-row seat to the craziest show on Earth.”

"Yeah, but I didn't expect the show to get this crazy this fast. All for an object you're just gonna destroy."

"Slingshot is protocol. A weapon like the 0-8-4 is too dangerous for any person or country to have. People like Reyes would always be after it." 

"What happened with Reyes anyway?"

"She's being held at a S.H.I.E.L.D. detainment facility. I expect the Peruvian government will negotiate for her release. She probably won't spend much time in jail."

"No, I mean, what happened with you and Reyes? You guys were totally a thing, weren't you?"

"She wanted us to be. It was 11 years ago, Skye. Your mom and I were still married, and I would have _never_ cheated on her. I was in Peru for six months, you remember, don't you?" Skye nodded, she did remember. She'd hated that her dad had been gone for so long and cried every night. 

Dad gave her a smile before walking away. Skye pulled out her phone and started scrolling through social media. Fitz and Simmons came downstairs, each with a beer in their hands. Fitz was carrying a cooler that Skye assumed was filled with more bottles of beer. The two of them were giddy as they headed for the end of the half-raised ramp. Fitz called for them all to join them. Melinda sat next to Simmons and Ward next to Fitz while Skye stood behind them all. They all watched a rocket supposedly carrying the 0-8-4 launch into space until Skye's attention was pulled away to her phone. She'd gotten a message for her friend, Miles, from the Rising Tide. 

  * "Rising Tide in a holding pattern."
  * "Planning to go dark."
  * "What is your status?"



Skye hesitated in her reply. There were a lot of ways she could play this. 

  * "I'm in."



* * *

Skye sat in one of the Slingshot's offices, confused as to why her mother had sent her there. She jumped when the door flung open and hit the wall behind it. In walked Director Nicholas Fury, or as she knew him, Uncle Fury, and her looked furious. Skye now understood why agents found him scary. He stood on the other side of the desk with his on his hips.

"Skyler May Coulson! What the hell were you thinking?" Skye slid down in her seat, "You had a problem with my organization, so you joined an enemy? If you have an issue, you come to me! Or Maria!"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Fury," Skye apologized, "In my defense, you've been really busy." The man glared at her. 

"That is bullshit, little girl, and you know it. Consider yourself lucky that I am allowing you to stay with your parents on that plane!"

"You wanted to send me to stay with Nǎinai too?" Fury chuckled and shook his head. 

"While your grandmother is frightening, you seem to think you can handle S.H.I.E.L.D. business, so I would start your training with a far worse Superior Officer than Grant Ward. Natasha has expressed interest in a protege." Skye's eyes widened, "Oh, yes. You'd start your training with the Black Widow herself. You'd be dead in a week. The next time I find out you've had your nose somewhere it doesn't belong, I will pull you off that plane. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now give me a hug and get out of here." Skye hugged her favorite uncle. 

"Love you," she mumbled while they embraced.

"You too, Kid." Uncle Fury rubbed her back a couple times before pulling away, "Now get back to your plane."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Hopefully I will be getting a job soon, so the updates will slow down but for now we shall all enjoy them while we can. I have Chapter 5 written and the 6th will be started as soon as I post this! Thanks for reading!


	3. Defining Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye starts training to be a field agent and immediately has to go in solo. The 17-year-old is cocky but not quite ready for that yet.

**September 19, 2013**

Skye sighed with satisfaction as she submitted the science assignment she had been struggling with for the past week. It sucked that she couldn't go the certified geniuses that were also on the plane, but that would blow her cover. Skye cursed when she saw the time. She was late for her evening training. Ward had approached her about becoming a field agent with him being her S.O. when she'd gotten back from her meeting with Uncle Fury. Today was her second day, and Skye was exhausted. She wrapped her hands like he'd taught her before heading to the cargo bay, where Ward was already beating up the punching bag. When he saw her, he stopped. 

"You know you're late," he said. 

"I'm tired from _morning's_ workout," Skye replied, "I thought I was joining S.H.I.E.L.D., not 24-hour Fitness."

"It's called Relative Strength Training," Ward explained, annoyed, "starting with the basics. And the next time, you do 15 push-ups for every minute you're late." Oh, god, no.

"Fine, Mr. Fun Machine," Skye replied, while he checked her wrappings, "Better than pull-ups. I don't _ever_ want to do another pull-up again."

"You find yourself hanging off the edge of a building 20 stories up, you're gonna want to do at least one." He showed her how to stand and how to throw some punches. "You know the hardest part about boxing?"

"Getting punched in the face?"

"Keeping your hands up."

"Why do I even have to do this?" Skye groaned. She was just a tad bit frustrated. She'd been doing Tai Chi since she could walk and had been in Karate since she was old enough to join classes. Sure, it had been a few years since she'd been in any classes, but she was a black belt anyway, but she couldn't tell him that. To Ward, Skye was a nobody. "I'm sure FitzSimmon's Supervising Officer didn't make them do this muscle stuff."

"You wanted to be a field agent, like Coulson. Uh, if you'd like to switch disciplines..." Ward called into the lab, "Hey Simmons! What did your S.O. give you guys for morning drills?" Skye didn't understand a word of the woman's reply. 

"Okay, okay," Skye grumbled, "She made your point." Ward moved to stand on the other side of the punching bag and held it for her. 

"There will come a moment when you have to commit to this or bail. Every field agent had a defining moment. Ask Coulson when you have to make the hard call to either dedicate yourself to this or curl up in a ball and run."

"How can you run if you're curled up in a ball?"

"It's my job as your S.O. to make sure you don't die before then." He adjusted her arms and had her continue. 

"So what was yours, Agent Ward?" Skye asked. He didn't answer, "Your defining moment?" silence, "Come on, tell me. I want to know." Melinda's voice came over the intercom. 

"Changing course, briefing in three," her mother announced, making Fitz, Simmons, Ward, and Skye go up to the sitting area where Phil briefed the four of them. Apparently, a physicist that had been working with S.H.I.E.L.D. was kidnapped, and they needed to rescue him. Skye thought it was surprising that the people who took him were invisible!

Once they landed in Colorado, they made their way to the site where Dr. Franklin Hall was taken. There, they found one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles in a tree. The agent that had been driving the transport vehicle talked to Skye's parents while Skye and Ward checked the perimeter, and FitzSimmons did science stuff. Simmons found something that they took back to the back to the Bus. While they worked on that, her mother had Skye reading the world's largest binder full of all the communications out of H.Q. since they'd decided to transfer Dr. Hall. Thanks to the guy who sold the kidnappers his excavator, they now knew Dr. Hall was being held by Ian Quinn, the CEO of Quinn Worldwide.

* * *

"The man's a prisoner, and it's up to us to get him out," Phil told the team as they brainstormed ideas on how to get Dr. Hall out of Quinn's compound in Malta. A country S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have jurisdiction in. 

"We've checked the specs," Ward replied, "There's no way into Quinn's compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D. strike force or a man inside. He's got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property."

"They'll never allow a strike force into Malta," Phil told him. "Plus this weekend, Quinn Worldwide's got it's annual shareholder's gathering. We'd risk global outrage, but-" Melinda cut him off as Skye got an idea and pulled out her phone.

"If we go in alone-" 

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can disavow us, claim ignorance," Phil finished for her. 

"Without a man inside, it's impossible," Melinda stated, "Unless you're immune to pulse laser emissions." Fitz threw out a ridiculous idea about a monkey, so Skye threw out her option. 

"I could go in," Skye said, but no one acknowledged it.

"Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta," Ward proposed, "I'll spend a few weeks establishing a cover, gathering intel-"

"Hall doesn't have a few weeks," Phil cut him off. 

"And to restate," Simmons reminded, "any agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. caught on Maltese soil can be shot to death with bullets. Legally."

"Not me," Skye stated, "I could go in."

"Skye," Ward scoffed, "This is serious." 

"Wait," Phil told him before turning to his daughter, "What are you saying?"

"Well, I'm not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Skye answered, "So I can go in without breaking all these stupid rules."

"International laws," Simmons corrected.

"This isn't something the Rising Tide can hack, Skye," Ward told her.

"Did you hear the deadly lasers part?" Fitz asked, "Without a brave monkey-"

"You said you could go in with a man inside," Skye cut him off.

"And you want to be that man?" Melinda clarified. 

"FitzSimmons loved the guy, and he needs help," Skye nodded, "They could be torturing him or worse, making him do strength training." She sent Ward a glare. 

"But you don't have the background or clearance or experience with any of this," Ward reminded her. 

"I know," she replied before showing them her phone, "But I've got an invitation. Well, technically, it's an E-vite." Everyone dispersed. FitzSimmons went back down to the lab, and Phil went to his office, Ward following after him. Melinda glared at her daughter. 

"Cockpit. Now," the mother demanded, and Skye followed her. When they were both inside, Melinda turned to Skye, "What the hell are you thinking, Skyler? Do you understand you are going in there all by yourself? If something goes wrong, it is all you. Are you really ready for that?"

"No, probably not," Skye answered, "but its the only option we have!"

"Skye," Melinda sighed. 

"I can do it, Mama," she told her mother, and Melinda pulled her into a hug. 

"Bǎobèi, qǐng xiǎoxīn. Wǒ bùnéng shīqù nǐ (Baby, please be careful. I can not lose you)."

"Wǒ zhīdào, māmā, wǒ huì de. Wǒ ài nǐ (I know, Mama, I will. I love you)." Melinda kissed her daughter's temple. 

Wǒ yě ài nǐ Bǎobèi( I love you too, Baby)." Skye left her mother's area and went to her own bunk to search for a dress, but Ward appeared and took her to the cargo may for extra training. This lesson was how to disarm a shooter. Skye played around a little too much, and Ward became frustrated. 

"You're gonna die and leave us hanging out to dry," Ward grumbled, "You know that? You're going in with no self-defense skills-" 

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Skye cut him off. 

"You need muscle memory, fundamentals, the tools to turn yourself-"

"Into a whole bag of tools?" she finished for him. She had heard the phrase a lot over her 17-years, but even more in the few days since she'd started training. 

"How did you learn Computer Science without committing yourself to it?"

"C.S. comes naturally to me. I'm sorry I'm not naturally whatever you are."

"You think this came naturally? I had a brother who beat the crap out of me. Me and my little brother. For nothing, for eating a piece of his birthday cake. I had to learn to protect us. The way I am trying to protect you. That was my moment. You asked."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to push," Skye held up the prop gun she had swiped from the front of Ward's pants while he spoke. "But, I did manage to take this." He took the gun from her. 

"Getting the gun is one thing. Pulling the trigger, that is another." Ward pointed the gun at her again, "Now, again, slowly, what's first?"

* * *

Skye nervously walked into Ian Quinn's backyard. She took the glass of champagne, as well as the hors d'oeuvre that was offered to her while she searched the area for her host. She jumped when someone behind her spoke.

"Who are you?" a man asked loudly, Skye turned to face him and a second man came over. 

"Oh, apologies for his manners," the second man said, "He knows very little English."

"Oh, that, uh, that's- - What- Whatever," Skye waved them both off, "Skye," she introduced herself, and extended her hand.

"Qasim Zaghlul," the first man stated, shaking her hand. In her ear, Melinda told her who he was.

"Big fan," Skye complimented, "You build half of Dubai, including the Arabian Blade. I love that building. It's super sci-fi. Where's your wife..." Melinda told her the woman's name, "Nadrah? She staying at home with the boys?" Skye finished the conversation and walked away, "I could used to this, people," she informed the three listenings, "It's like Siri if it worked." She saw Quinn, "Skipper to Bravo. I got eyes on top dog. The eagle is landing on it."

"What are you doing?" Simmons asked. 

"Uh, sorry. I- I don't know. I see Quinn. I'm gonna go talk to him." Skye crossed the yard and joined the group the man was talking to. She introduced herself, and he happily introduced her to the others. He even offered her a job before going to make his speech. Skye watched some of the CEO's talk before sneaking off to find his office. The doors wouldn't let her enter. "It's locked, but there's no lock."

"Uh, check for a keypad," Fitz instructed. 

"Nothing," Skye answered after looking, "What? You can hack a keypad?"

"No," he replied, "Not over the phone."

"Is there a reception desk?" Melinda offered. 

"Okay, yeah," Skye said and went to the table down the hall. "Well, now what do I do?"

"What are you trying to do?" Skye whipped around, and her heart dropped when she saw Ian Quinn was standing behind her.

"Just," Skye chuckled nervously, "looking for a pen," she grabbed one, "Here we go." Skye chuckled again, "Got to write down all those good ideas, you know what I mean? Of course, you know what I mean. Probably have like ten pens for your ideas." She sucked at this. How had she successfully lied to her parents for a month?

"What are you really doing?" Skye got an idea. 

"Alright. I'm busted. I was trying to get a glimpse behind your office doors, see how things really operate."

"I invite you here as a guest, and you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets, to leak online." Quinn pulled out his phone, "Security." Crap that backfired. New plan. 

"No, no, no, wait," she stopped him, "It's just with all these la-di-da people, you have to be so guarded, so careful." Skye grabbed a piece of paper and started to write, "What you say, what secrets you reveal. And... I was hoping that you and I could be honest with one another. If you know what I mean." She held up the paper she'd written the words: "SHIELD IS LISTENING” on. Quinn led her into his office and chit-chated for a bit before Skye dropped her earpiece into her champagne glass. She sighed wistfully, "Much better. Haven't felt that 'Someone's watching my every move' feeling since I failed my driver's test."

"You want to tell me what the hell's going on?" Quinn asked, "S.H.I.E.L.D. got to you?"

"They picked me up in L.A., I helped them in a crisis, and now they want to recruit me."

"Of course they did," Quinn grumbled.

"So, I played along. Talked about inside info, I have a bunk on their plane. I've been gathering intel, biding my time until I could become useful. I thought this qualified."

"Why would they trust you with a covert operation like this?"

"Something about S.H.I.E.L.D. not breaking international laws. They had no other options, whereas I like to keep mine open." They continued speaking for a bit, mostly Quinn pitching a job to her. Then he explained why he believed S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited her. "You're saying they wanted to rope me in because I pose a genuine threat?" Boy, was he wrong. 

"Yes," he answered "and fit their profile."

"Profile?"

"Sure. You're a criminal. You have a warrant somewhere."

"Probably." 

"Specialized skill set."

"I try to stay humble but fail."

"No family." Skye's smile disappeared, and she thought about the file she had found while hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records. She had a family. She loved her parents and all of her aunts and uncles, but they had lied to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit a nerve, but that is what these people do. S.H.I.E.L.D.- They prey on fear and loneliness and desperation, and then they offer a home to those who have no one else to turn to. I can offer you something better." Skye got him to continue talking and was able to pull out the compact Fitz had made for her that helped him hack into the compound's mainframe. Five minutes after she used it, security burst into the office, exposing that she had been assisting S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinn pulled a gun on Skye and threw her against the wall. 

"Don't you get it? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s against everything you stand for. They're Big Brother," Quinn growled with one of his hands holding her by the throat. 

"Maybe," Skye rasped, "But they're the nice big brother that stands up for his helpless little brother when he's getting beat up because he ate a piece of cake that he wasn't- You know, you kidnapped a person!" Quinn growled and let go of her neck. 

"I set him free! I saved him! And I could have saved you." The ground shook under them, "Tell me what they're doing!" He changed his voice to a softer one, "Tell me what they're doing. You have to talk You have no other way out of this," he laughed, "You're expendable to S.H.I.E.L.D. They sent you in here with nothing." Skye took the gun, precisely the same way her S.O. had taught her. 

"They taught me a few things," Skye told him as she pointed the gun back at him, "And believe it or not, S.H.I.E.L.D. cares about me _way_ more than you think."

"Kid's got balls," one of the security guards stated.

"Thanks, but... yuck."

"But do you have what it takes to pull the trigger?" Quinn asked. 

"Nope," Skye answered. She threw the gun down and ran out of the French doors onto the balcony, then she jumped into the pool below. She climbed out of the pool and started looking for her dad and Ward. Unfortunately, Skye ran into the path of three security guards. Two of them grabbed her by her arms. "NO, no. No, no! Please, please!" she cried. 

Ward appeared, making the men let go of her and turn their attention to him. The agent knocked out all of the men, and Skye ran to him.

"Are you hurt?" Ward asked, and she shook her head no, "Just follow my orders. I'll get us out of here." She followed him down to the lab, where her dad was pointing a gun at Dr. Hall, trying to talk him out of using the Gravitonium. Skye watched as Phil sent the doctor into the new element, stopping its effects on the room.

* * *

Skye waited until she heard all three of the other bunk doors closed before she got up. She had been quiet since Ward had found her at Quinn's compound. What she had experienced was just too much for the 17-year-old. She just wanted her mom, but she couldn't go to her while everyone was awake. Skye went up to the bunk behind the cockpit where the light was on. She knocked. 

"Enter!" Melinda called, and Skye slid the bunk door open and found her mother sitting in the bed with a book. "Hi, Sweetheart." Skye climbed into the bed and shut the door. As soon as the teen was alone with her mother, the tears started to roll.

"Mama," Skye choked out, and her mother pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh, Sī kǎi," Melinda cooed as she rubbed her back. She shushed her for a moment. "Méiguānxì. Sī kǎi, yīqiè dōu jiéshùle. Nǐ xiànzài hěn ānquán, wǒ yǒu nǐ (It's okay. Skye, everything is over. You are safe now, I have you)." The mother moved them, so they were lying down, Skye basically on top of the woman. She cried herself to sleep that night. 

The next morning, Skye woke with her mother and did Tai Chi with her before taping up her hands. Skye started on her punching exercises. She heard as Ward descended the stairs to the cargo bay. 

"You and your brothers," Skye said as she continued punching, "Where'd you grow up?"

"Massachusetts, mostly," Ward answered slightly confused.

"A house?" she continued.

"You didn't?" he asked. Skye stopped punching and went for her water bottle.

"One house, three apartments, six months on an airforce base, and five years in a dorm before I got the van."

"Army brat," Ward guessed. Skye nodded since he wasn't too far off. 

"Everywhere we went, I never really fit in. I felt like I didn't belong until we moved into the house. The girl next door was different, clicked with me instantly. She was my best friend until we started middle school. She was one of the popular kids, and everyone else thought I was weird. They pressured her to end our friendship, which she did by pouring an iced coffee over my head one morning." Skye took a deep breath before going back to the punching bag, "Hoping for something and losing it hurts more than never hoping for anything." Ward held the bag for her. 

"We're not going to pour our coffee's on you, Skye," Ward told her. 

"Doesn't matter," Skye told him, "I made my choice. I want this. Bad. I belong here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I still haven't gotten a job yet so my life is writing and housework at the moment! Yay! Chapter 6 is written, 7 will be started tonight! I hope you're enjoying this!


	4. Trust the Team

**October 1, 2013**

Melinda loved flying, always had. Since getting her pilot's license, Melinda had found it relaxing and calming, to her, it was like Tai Chi, but while sitting. So whenever she could, she would manually fly the plane even if it could fly itself. On this day, she thought about how tomorrow, 17 years ago, she had flown this exact plane to the Hunan Province and found her little girl. It felt like it was yesterday. The door behind her opened and brought Melinda out of her head. She figured it was Phil since Skye usually knocked before entering. 

"Maybe I should learn to fly," Phil said, "It's not too late, right? I could learn. What do you like best? The freedom? The view?"

"The solitude," Melinda answered. 

"Got it," Phil replied, "See you in Sweden," Melinda smirked as he exited the cockpit. She still loved her ex-husband, the only reason they have separated was because of work. Phil had been away consistently, helping Fury create the Avengers Initiative, and she had pulled away from him after Bahrain. If it hadn't been for Skye, Melinda probably would have closed herself off from the world. 

Melinda landed the Bus in a private airfield outside of Stockholm and drove Phil and Skye into the city. There had been a jewel theft in the subway, and the team had been given the mission. 

"Yesterday, 55 men, all military, were hired by one of the largest gem brokers in the world," Phil explained as the three of them walked toward the crime scene. "They dressed the men in identical outfits, gave each one a randomly assigned briefcase, and sent them along 25 different routes here in Stockholm. No one knew which briefcase contained the diamonds, but they were still stolen." He signed them in and stepped onto the subway car. 

"Why the Kabuki theater?" Melinda asked as she and Skye followed him. There wasn't too much blood on the floor. 

"They were afraid because somebody's targeting diamonds," he answered. "An armored car in Milan, a safe in Monte Carlo, and how this. Over 30 mil total. Each theft occurred despite heavy security."

"They sound like inside jobs," Melinda pointed out. 

"A lot of people share that opinion."

"You don't?" Skye asked her father, "CCTV cameras catch any of the action?"

"FitzSimmons is checking," Phil answered. "The system went dark for an hour. They think it was hacked."

"It was the same thieves each time?" Melinda double-checked. It all sounded too crazy to be true. 

"Yes," he replied, "but it was just one thief. A woman. And she did it all with her eyes closed." That was just impossible. 

"Eyewitnesses I.D. her?" 

"Black, athletic build, late 20's, early 30's." A woman of that description came to mind, but it couldn't be. 

"So," Skye announced, "you asked how she could have cracked the system. I have a pitch, but it's way outside the box."

"I live outside the box," Phil said, and Melinda and Skye snorted. 

"No, you don't," Skye told him, "There are people in the world with superpowers, right? What if this woman has E.S.P. or something?"

"There are no credible studies that support precognition, telepathy, or extrasensory perception, Honey, but good thinking," Melinda told her daughter. 

"Okay, so science says no. But this woman knew impossible things. And why'd she close her eyes? That's either random or totally important," Skye argued. "Was she listening, or was she reading minds." Melinda couldn't help but laugh at the absurd idea. Skye pouted. "I'm gonna go play with my phone now, as Dad likes to call it." She sat down, and Melinda turned to her ex-husband. 

"Why does H.Q. want us to investigate these heists?" 

"They don't," Phil answered, "I picked this op." Phil looked to Skye, "Any luck?"

"Yep!" Skye said as she stood, "I'm getting full bars, which means if I was down here and 55 guys were in scary red masks, you know what I would do? Instagram." Skye held out her phone to show them a photo she'd found. The picture's subject was one of the men in red masks, standing on the platform waiting for his train. Melinda took them all back to the Bus, where Phil started sifting through the internet for photos of the masked men. 

"You know, I could do this pretty well when I was hacking for the Rising Tide, but S.H.I.E.L.D. tags and searches in ways the best hackers have never dreamed of," Skye told her parents as they watched pictures whiz by on the screen in her dad's office. Melinda glanced at her daughter when she mentioned the Rising Tide. She still wasn't happy that her 17-year-old had been working as a hacker, but she would keep her mouth shut. Instead, she turned to Phil. 

"I can run facial-recognition software on the photos, cross-reference them with our criminal databases."

"You don't have to," he replied, stopping on one of the photos. Immediately, Melinda knew why he had chosen the op. On the screen was one of Phil's old agents, Akela Amador. The young woman had died while on an op a few years prior, but Phil had never given up hope that his protege was still alive. 

"That's why you chose this op," Melinda proclaimed, "When you heard about the heists."

"There are only a few women in the world who could pull off something so impossible. Since you were on the Bus-"

"And Aunt Nat's busy babysitting Captain America," Skye added, and both of the adults turned to look at her, "What? I talked to her a couple days ago." 

"Steve Rogers is a hero, Skye," Phil told his daughter, "He does not need a babysitter. Natasha is his S.O."

"Those were her words, not mine!" Skye defended with her hands up in surrender. "Don't get your red, white, and blue boxers in a knot." Melinda snorted again. 

"So, since we're occupied..." Melinda repeated for the man. 

"I thought the thief had to be Akela, yes," Phil answered. The man led them down from his office to the command center. He started pulling all the data S.H.I.E.L.D. had on Akela Amador. Melinda began to worry this was too personal for the man and decided to keep a close eye on him. She wondered if she shouldn’t have decided to stay quiet when he shot down her idea to call in for backup. She followed orders though and didn't do it. Instead, she found somewhere to park the Bus in Belarus. 

Once there, Melinda stayed on the plane while everyone else went into Zloda to find Amador. The woman wasn't too thrilled about this since she had just spoken with Phil about going back into the field. She couldn't leave her daughter's life in the hands of Grant Ward. As good as the man was, Melinda was better. 

* * *

Melinda waited with bated breath for the rest of the team to return to the Bus. The van they had taken into town had been totaled when Amador rolled it into a ditch with a box truck. Melinda was worried because Skye and FitzSimmons had all been in the van when it happened. They could have been seriously hurt, all because Phil was taking the mission too personally. She sighed in relief when they all walked onto the plane carrying their gear. They weren't too injured to walk back. Melinda planed on yelling at her ex-husband, but their daughter found something that led to Amador before she could get the chance. So, Melinda followed Phil and Ward down to the lab. 

"Something's wrong," Skye lamented as the older agents entered the room, "It's the same feed that was watching us in the van, but it looks weird." She turned to Fitz, "Put it on the big monitor, please?" He nodded and did as she asked. 

"Maybe the lens broke when the van rammed us," Simmons proposed. The team gathered around the holotable to see the video feed on the large screen on the wall. 

"I hope she broke more than that," Skye grumbled. The image pulled up on the screen, but all they were looking at was grey. But after a few moments, there was movement, and Amador was on display. 

"It's a mirror," Phil said in amazement, walking closer to the screen, "Are we recording this?" Skye tapped at a tablet. "How are we seeing this? Where's the camera?" They watched as the camera moved and showed a series of tools. One of the instruments was picked up, and the camera moved again to look at Akela. The woman brought something up to her face, and it was extremely close to the camera lens. 

"It's her eye," Melinda couldn't believe it, even as she said it, " _She's_ the camera." The woman closed her eyes, and the feed changed to an x-ray like video. 

"She switches to backscatter when she closes her eyes," Fitz explained.

"You're a robot," Skye said to Ward, "Can you do that?" Ward ignored her.

Coulson turned to Fitz. 

"Who has tech like this?"

"We don't," the engineer shook his head, "Not like this. Not this small and internal. That's at least a decade ahead of anything I've seen. Though, now that I've seen it, I could approximate it, the backscatter, x-ray, a micro-transceiver that somehow doesn't fry her brain, an internal power source..."

"All miniaturized," Simmons continued for him, "Honestly, it's..."

"Genius," both of the scientists said at the same time. 

"We have to bring her in," Phil said. Melinda had to put her foot down.

"We have to take her out," Melinda argued, "She's a weapon. I'll call H.Q. See if we can bring a task force in to help us."

"Our team can handle this," Phil told her, and Melinda moved to stand next to him. 

"I get it, Phil. You feel responsible. Maybe you pushed her too hard. But she tried to kill three members of our team." 

"If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead."

"We got lucky. You want to risk our lives again?"

"You told me you were ready for combat, that you had my back."

"Don't ever doubt it. Ward and I are ready for combat, FitzSimmons and Skye are not. You are defending this girl at the expense of the team."

"Because we protect our own."

"With all due respect, sir," Ward cut in, "She's not one of our own."

"Guys," Skye pulled their attention back to the screen. There, Amador was writing out the words. "CAN I SLEEP?"

"Why does she have to ask for permission?" Simmons wondered aloud. The question was answered when the words "STAND BY" were typed out on the feed. 

"She's not being watched," Phil said, "She's being controlled. We have to find her." He turned to the rest of the team. "We'll take shifts watching the feed. Sooner or later, she'll look at something that will clue us into her location."

"It'll take the first watch," Melinda volunteered. It was the best way to make sure this was handled correctly. She and Phil shared a look before the team dispersed. Ward and Phil left while the three young members went about their business in the lab, and Melinda set herself up on a stool to watch the feed. About an hour later, Simmons bid them all goodnight and went to her bunk, only a few minutes later, Fitz was asleep at his work table. Skye moved to sit next to her mother. 

"Hi, Mama," she said softly. 

"Hi, Honey," Melinda greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I promise. It was more scary than anything else. And I feel bad that it happened because I can't use a gun properly." Melinda rubbed her daughter's back comfortingly, and Skye leaned over to lay her head on Melinda's shoulder. 

"Don't let it get to you, Bǎobèi. You're still learning, and you should have never been in that situation in the first place." Fitz shifted, and Skye moved away from her mother. She whispered. 

"Nà jiùshì wèishéme nǐ hé Bàba chǎojiàle (That's why you quarreled with Dad)?"

"Zhè shì yuányīn de yībùfèn, shì de. Wǒ hái yǒu qítā yuányīn shǐ wǒ gǎndào jǔsàng. Bǎobèi, bié dānxīn wǒmen huì méishì de. Nǐ zěnme bù shuìjiào (This is part of the reason, yes. I have other reasons that frustrate me. Baby, don't worry we will be fine. Why don’t you sleep)?" Skye nodded and stood. 

"Wǎn'ān, māmā. Wǒ ài nǐ (Good night, Mama. I love you).

"Sī kǎi, wǒ yě ài nǐ. Zhù nǐ yǒu gè tiánmì de mèng, Bǎobèi (Skye, I love you too. I wish you a sweet dream, Baby)," Melinda replied before her daughter left the lab. The woman watched Akela while she had dinner. She got another message telling her to go to the Todorov Building a nine o'clock the next morning. When the former agent went to take some medication, Melinda saw the room service receipt. Amador was at the Crown Regent Hotel in Minsk. Immediately, Melinda was off the stool and heading out of the plane. She had to do this herself, or it would never be done. 

Finding Akela's room was easy enough, getting into the room was harder, but Melinda managed. Once inside, she found the former agent asleep in bed. When Melinda flicked on the light, Amador woke and sat up. She didn't look at Melinda.

"Whoever's monitoring you, do they have audio?" Melinda asked her. 

"No," Akela answered, "But they'll use facial recognition to determine who you are, Melinda." 

"So, you remember," Melinda stated.

"I remember everything. Did Coulson send you?"

"No. He feels sorry for you. I don't. I'm bringing you into S.H.I.E.L.D., you'll get a fair trial, and no one else gets hurt."

"You have no idea, do you?"

"We know that you receive orders."

"Then you know that once they see you, only one of us gets to walk out of here. They built in a failsafe, and while I don't want to leave your daughter without a mother, I'm not ready to die." Amador looked up at her, "Either I kill you... or they kill me."

"You should have stayed in bed." The former agent pulled a gun on Melinda, but she kicked it out of her hand. The two of them fought hand-to-hand for a couple minutes before Melinda threw Amador over the room service cart close to the lamp. She threw the steak knife that had fallen with her, but Melinda dodged it easily. Amador closed her eyes and knocked out the only source of light in the room. Melinda took a fighting stance and listened for movement. Before Amador could do anything, the door to the room was thrown open, and Phil shot the young woman with the pistol Fitz had been working on. She was _not_ calling it the "Night-night pistol." 

Phil took Melinda and the unconscious former agent back to the Bus, where they locked her in the Cage, a holding cell/interrogation room. Phil stayed with Amador while Melinda went to the command center to run backend for Ward and Skye. The 17-year-old had been able to hijack the feed from Amador's camera, and it was being transmitted to a pair of glasses that Fitz had made. Ward was wearing the glasses to the Todorov Building to complete the mission Amador had been given. While Melinda was keeping track of her daughter and her S.O., she was also watching Coulson with their former friend. 

"Vanchat would have never caught us if I'd just done my job," Amador lamented, "I should have listened to you, trusted my team the way you insisted," her voice broke as she said, "If I had...they might still be alive." Melinda let out a deep sigh. She was right, and Melinda needed to listen. Melinda then turned her attention to tracing the feed to find where the handler was hiding. 

"Handler's definitely local," Melinda told Phil as he entered the command center. 

"Any idea where he's transmitting from?" he asked, looking over the map that Melinda had displayed on the Holocom. She pointed to a highlighted area. 

"Somewhere here," she answered. "Every time he sends a message, we get closer." Phil nodded. 

"Keep me updated on Comm 3. I'm headed out now." He started to leave. 

"I'll track if you want to stay here and oversee the op."

"Thank you. This one's mine. And about earlier-"

"Go." Melinda interrupted, "Find the guy." Melinda watched the map while Phil drove. The area got smaller and smaller with every message the handler sent, and Phil wasn't far. "He's somewhere in Victory Square," Melinda instructed, "One more message should lock in his precise location." Phil found the guy, but unfortunately, as soon as he introduced himself to the guy, the man fell over, dead. He had also been being watched and controlled. While Phil dealt with him, Melinda contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. to pick up Amador. She escorted her old friend off of the plane. 

"What happened to Phil?" Amador asked, "He's different."

"Well, he's loosened up a bit," Melinda answered. "He nearly died before the Battle of New York."

"But what did they do to him?" Amador whispered, and Melinda stopped. She'd been gone seven years and knew something was different. Not even their daughter seemed to notice there was a difference?

"I'm sorry?" Melinda asked. Amador seemed shocked Melinda didn't seem to notice. The younger woman shook her head. 

"Never mind." Amador turned to join the team at the end of the Bus' ramp. Melinda needed to contact Fury. NOW.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys are thinking!


	5. Secrets and Lies

**October 13, 2013**

Melinda cleaned up her equipment from her morning workout from the cargo bay floor. Now that she was going back into the field, she needed to be in the best shape. She went upstairs to the lounge area where she found Phil watching Skye and Ward play 'Battleship.' The mother had to admit she was proud of how well Skye was doing with her training. 

"She's fitting in nicely," Phil told his ex-wife. 

"Are you gloating?" Melinda asked.

"A little," he answered, "You wanted to send her to Lian's. Look what I did. I helped her find herself." Melinda rolled her eyes but had a small smile on her face. 

"You were up early this morning. Heard you puttering around even before I started Tai Chi. Having trouble sleeping?"

"No. I feel great. Just have a little extra energy to burn."

"If you want, I could lay out the mats downstairs. We could go a few rounds, like the old days?" Phil chuckled as he turned to look at Melinda. 

"If I remember correctly, we never used to make it to the second round in the old days. It doesn't seem like a great idea since FitzSimmons would be right there, and our daughter is on the plane. She probably would not enjoy finding that." Melinda chuckled. 

"She should count herself lucky she missed that childhood trauma." An incoming message from S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q. interrupted their banter. They had a new op.

* * *

"Chan Ho Yin-" Phil told the team, "Just a struggling street performer until a few years ago when Mr. Chan began to exhibit moderate pyrokinetic abilities."

"So what gave him powers?" Fitz asked.

"It's still under investigation," Phil answered, "but Chan did live near the decommissioned Wan Tai Nuclear Plant when it caught fire. To our knowledge, no other nearby residents have exhibited similar traits."

"So, how did we find out about him?" Simmons inquired.

"Informant saw him lighting torches in a street show..." Melinda explained, "with his pinkie."

"Brought it to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention," Phil continued, "We told him to keep his abilities under wraps. He's been on the Index ever since."

"The Index?" Skye asked. Melinda knew her daughter had heard them talk about the Index before, but she figured Skye was going to ask about all of the things she hadn't gotten straight answers on before. 

"It's a list S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps of people and objects with powers," Simmons explained to her. 

"Wait," Skye said, "What? How many are there? Are you saying there are more people-"

"Not many," Melinda cut her off.

"Well enough to keep a list," Skye shot back.

"A short list," Phil insisted, "Meant to protect them."

"Though in rare cases," Ward added, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has had to take action."

"Action against objects or people?" the teen asked, looking at her mother, and Melinda broke eye contact. "Well, that's drastic with a side of creepy. How are they monitored? Tapped phones, satellite surveillance, body probes in dark, unpleasant places?" Melinda gave her daughter a playful glare. 

"Body probes?" Fitz scoffed, "Now, that's ridiculous. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't do that. We don't do that. Do we?" The young man looked at Phil. 

"The methods vary," Phil answered, making Fitz shift uncomfortably. "Mr. Chan was low-risk. He was assigned a case agent who checked in with him every few days." Melinda opened the video chat with Chan's case agent, "That's how we discovered him missing." Melinda greeted the man on the other end in Cantonese to get his attention, and he greeted them all in turn. 

"Everyone," Melinda said to the team, "this is Agent Kwan, Chan Ho Yin's case agent." She turned back to the screen, "What can you tell us?"

"Not much I'm afraid," Agent Kwan replied, "Chan is a magician, so at first, I thought he'd made himself disappeared."

"The file says you'd caught him violating his agreement before," Phil inquired. 

"On two separate occasions-" Kwan replied, "Claimed we were 'hampering his artistic expression.' But late last night, he was taken by professionals. The only thing they left behind was a scrap of aluminized material."

"Fireproof clothing," Simmons determined.

"So, whoever took him knew about his power," Ward concluded.

"Yes," Kwan agreed, "and we think we know why. The last few days, tech division discovered a crack into our data stream. It's the same cyberpunks who hacked us before. Somehow, they got in again. It's the Rising Tide." Everyone on the team looked at Skye. Melinda knew it couldn't have been her daughter, but the girl most likely knew who did. "Hello?" Agent Kwan asked, "It got real quiet. You guys still there?"

They finished briefing with Kwan before dispersing. Fitz and Simmons went back down to the lab, Phil and Ward took Skye to Phil's office, and Melinda went to her bunk to change out of her workout clothes. When she was done, Phil was alone in the office. Skye was tracing the hack. It didn't take the teen long to find where the hacker was: Austin, Texas. And then, they knew who it was: Miles Lydon, and from the face Skye made when he popped up, she knew him. Melinda set the plane's course for Austin. 

Once in the city, Phil, Skye, and Ward split up to find Miles. Ward lost him on foot, but Phil followed in the SUV, but eventually, he lost him. When the chase started, Skye seemed to disappear, but this was something her parents had been expecting, so Melinda had been tailing her daughter since the three had left the Bus. She followed Skye to the building that Miles had listed as his address. Melinda sighed and waited outside the building until Miles entered. He led her up to his third-story apartment, and she waited outside listening. Melinda listened to her daughter argue with the young man until it seemed to get quiet. The mother waited a few more minutes and then broke into the apartment. Once inside, Melinda heard confirmation that her daughter knew Miles Lydon _very_ well. As much as she wanted to stop what was happening, Melinda did _not_ want to see Skye while she was doing what she was doing. The mother waited until it sounded like they were done to contact the team. When she heard the young couple moving around in the bedroom, Melinda grabbed Skye's shirt off the ground and moved to stand in front of the door. Skye was shocked when she found her mother on the other side of the door.

"Get. Dressed," Melinda told her daughter, but Skye just stared at her, "Coulson and the rest of the team are already on the way, so unless you want to greet them like that..." Skye took the top out of her hands, "Good choice." Melinda turned to the young man she'd just heard her daughter having sex with, "You too." While he started pulling on clothes, the mother turned back to her daughter and whispered, "Kuài qù zuò shāfā (Go sit on the sofa)." Skye did as she was told as the team entered the apartment, Phil looking especially angry. Melinda went back to start questioning her daughter's apparent boyfriend. She longed to chew him out for being with her daughter but knew she couldn't. 

"Do you have a warrant to be going through my stuff?" Miles demanded from her, and Melinda glared in response. 

"The classified information you stole from us, who did you give it to?" she asked.

"It's information," he scoffed, "It has a life of its own."

"Says the one demanding to see a warrant." Miles and Melinda glared at each other. "What happened to Mr. Chan?"

"I don't know who that is, so why don't you tell me?" there was a crash in the other room, "So are you guys just gonna destroy all my stuff?”

"Yes," Melinda answered as Phil entered the room.

"Anything?" he asked, and she shook her head. 

"I don't have to talk to you," Miles informed him. 

"Take him in," Phil said before exiting the room, "Gather all the evidence and secure the prisoners. We got what we were looking for here. We're going to Hong Kong." Melinda followed him out, pushing Miles in front of her. They locked Skye and Miles in the Cage while Melinda started their course for Hong Kong, Ward and FitzSimmons began to go through what they took from Miles' place, and Phil went to his office. Once they were in the air and on track, Melinda went to her ex's office to find him watching the feed of their daughter and Miles in the Cage. "Go ahead. Say it," Phil told her as she leaned on the doorframe.

"You know I don't do petty," Melinda replied. 

"But you called it. I trusted my gut, even though you said it was risky bringing her on here."

"I was thinking more along the lines of her getting hurt, Phil. I wasn't expecting a surprise hacker boyfriend."

"Don't call him that," Phil grimaced, "They could just be close friends."

"Trust me. They're more than friends."

"What are we going to do?"

"Me? This is your team. I'm just the pilot," Melinda joked, and Phil chuckled, "Your gut told you to put her on the team, what is your gut telling you now?"

"That our daughter is still hiding something from us." Simmons appeared behind Melinda; they'd found something. A million dollars worth of evidence. Miles had sold the information, something that made Skye furious with him. 

* * *

"It appears Centipede is responsible for Mr. Chan's kidnapping," Phil informed the team (it was weird to think of them as the team without Skye) as they all gathered in the command center. 

"First L.A., now Hong Kong. What kind of organization are we dealing with?" Ward asked.

"International," Phil answered, "well-financed, interested in creating a super soldier. Let's hope finding Mr. Chan will provide some answers. Using the account information Mr. Lydon gave us, S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q. believes he's being held here," Phil pointed to a building on the map of Hong Kong. 

"Any ideas what Centipede wants with Chan?" Melinda asked. 

"Hard to say," Fitz replied, "but Simmons thinks that considering his pyrokinetic..." Simmons cut her partner off. 

"There's a good chance his genetics could stabilize the extremis element of the Centipede Serum," she explained.

"Keep their test subjects from going..." Fitz simplified for them all. 

"Boom," they both finished. 

"If Mr. Chan is Centipede's lab rat, we need to get there before the experiment's over," Phil told them before they all broke back up. When they got to Hong Kong, Phil and Melinda were the ones to go to the Centipede building with Agent Kwan and his team. The three senior agents entered the facility through the roof and went straight to the fifth floor where they thought Chan was being held. They blasted their way through the doors and learned they were right. Chan Ho Yin was tied up in the lab, but once they were inside, it locked itself down. Phil called in the team to help. Ward was going to bring Skye to reset the system. When they set Chan free, he injected himself with some of the serum and burned a hole through Agent Kwan.

"Chan," Phil exclaimed, "What have you done?"

"I've set myself free," the man replied before sending a ball of fire toward Phil. Phil jumped out of the way and ran to hide behind a line of rolling shelves. Melinda did the same. 

"Mr. Chan," Phil called out, "I know you're in pain."

"This is nothing!" Chan yelled, "You were the ones killing me, forcing me to keep this gift locked up inside."

"Chan," Melinda called out in Cantonese, "I'm sorry you've lived a life you didn't want, but violence will solve nothing!"

"It will keep me from being a prisoner!" he replied in Cantonese, "By you, by them, there's no difference. I was given this gift for a reason. To burn bright!" 

"There's no turning back!"

"I don't want to go back!" Melinda sighed at the dramatics of this and looked to Phil. 

"So, we're good, right?" Phil asked, and Melinda rolled her eyes. Chan sent another fireball toward them, and Phil had to jump out of the way again. 

"His file say anything about being homicidal?" Melinda grit out.

"Just said he was kind of a tool," Phil answered before calling out, "Mr. Chan, believe it or not, this can still get worse!"

"You bend someone long enough, and they break! Poor little Chan Ho Yin may have believed your lies, but not Scorch!"

"Who?" Melinda asked. 

"Oh, crap," Phil moaned, "They gave him a name." He pulled out the gun that hit the target with dendrotoxin (Melinda was still not going to call it a "Night-night gun"). "Get me a clean look. I'll make sure he wakes up in a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility."

"Waking is optional at this point." Melinda attempted to distract Chan, but he blocked all of the tranquilizing bullets with a wall of fire. 

"Nothing can stop me!" Chan cheered. He was right. The only chance they had of stopping him was the dendrotoxin. They had to get out of the building and make sure Chan's explosion didn't cause too much damage. Melinda injected him with ten CC's of the serum to get him to ensure he would explode while still in the building, and she and Phil got out. They met Ward and Skye on the way, making it just in time.

* * *

Melinda stood with Skye, Phil, and Miles in the cargo bay of the Bus. They were still in Hong Kong, and the mother felt smug knowing they were going to be leaving him there. Of course, Maria would be coming to pick him up in a couple of days, but letting him think they were abandoning him made Melinda feel better about knowing what he had done with her daughter. 

"You've got two choices," Phil told Miles as he stood in front of him, holding a box containing a tracking bracelet, "Take what's in this box, or we put you in a slightly bigger one."

"You want to give me a hint?" Miles joked. When he didn't get a reaction, he took the offered box and opened it. "What's it do?"

"Whatever we tell it to do," Phil answered as he slid the bracelet on the young man. "I'd try to avoid any unlawful activity, and I think you'll find it hard to use electronic devices for a while. “You can go now."

"Cool, but we're still in Hong Kong."

"Yep."

"I live in Austin, Texas."

"I know. Oh, and Agent Kwan's family thanks you for the anonymous donation." Phil walked away from the young man. As he passed Skye and Melinda, he whispered, "My office when you're done." Skye nodded before stepping up in front of Miles. The young man looked at Melinda.

"Can we get some privacy?" he asked.

"I gave you and my daughter plenty of privacy in Austin, Mr. Lydon," Melinda informed him, "The two of you can say your goodbyes while I stand right here." Miles looked shocked.

"That's your mom?" Skye nodded, "So I guess you're going to stay?" She nodded again. 

"That or I'm being shipped off somewhere," she replied. 

"You've changed."

"Good."

"I mean, you're not who you used to be."

"And you're not who I thought you were. Both of us were in pretty dark places when we met, I guess that means we've grown as people. At least I have." The two of them were quiet until Skye said, "Good luck on your way home."

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Miles said as she started to climb the stairs. Skye paused but didn't look back. Melinda made sure he was off the plane before closing the cargo ramp and heading up to Phil's office. The man was sat at his desk with Skye sitting across from him. Melinda closed the door behind her. 

"I didn't want anything to--" Skye started, but Phil stopped her. 

"Stop lying, Skyler. Since the moment you came home from school in May, you have been lying to my face, to all of us."

"I haven't-"

"You're lying now. I stood up for you, to my team down there, your mother, and your uncle. And we started to believe in you, they risked their lives for you." 

"I-"

"Why are you here?" Phil yelled, shocking, even Melinda. The father wasn't the kind of parent that screamed. "The very first day you said you wanted to get into S.H.I.E.L.D. you've been keeping something from us... This whole time. And it wasn't just a boyfriend. You have a secret, Skyler, and one chance to come out with it. That's now, or you're done here." Skye had tears in her eyes as she set down an information drive on the desk. "What is this?"

"It's everything I have," their daughter choked out. She was working hard to not cry. 

"On what?" Melinda asked. 

"On me," Skye cried, and Melinda's heart dropped. Did Skye know she was the subject of a mission? "I wanted to know where I come from, but there's nothing. My adoption paperwork all leads back to S.H.I.E.L.D., and after that, all I can find is a redacted file mentioning a baby that matches my adoption dates." Phil kneeled in front of their daughter, and Melinda did the same.

"Angel," Phil said, "Why didn't you come to us about this?"

"I didn't wanna tell you that I was looking 'cause I didn't wanna hurt your feelings," Skye cried, "I love you guys, but I wanna know more! No matter what you choose to do, I'll never stop looking." The parents shared a look before Melinda nodded. 

"You might not like you find, Honey," Phil stated. 

"What do you mean?" Melinda told the girl the story of the mission they'd found her on. "So, I was the only survivor?"

"As far as we know, yes," Phil answered.

"And I was the 0-8-4?"

"That was never confirmed," Melinda told her with the shake of her head. "To us, you were just a happy, healthy miracle. We didn't keep you out of duty, Bǎobèi. We did it because we loved you as soon as we found you."

"I love you guys," Skye said as Melinda stood to kiss her temple. 

"We love you too, Angel," Phil replied. "Now, I think it's punishment time." He handed her a box identical to the one he'd given Miles, "You can stay, but you have to wear this. It will let you use your computer for school and for missions, but that is it. All your phone is good for now is phone calls and texting family. No internet." Skye gaped at him, and Melinda couldn't help but snort. 

  
"We could just take the phone away like normal parents," the mother pointed out, and Skye straitened up. 

"Nope, no, the nanny bracelet is fine. Great even!" Skye replied, and the parents smiled. "Thank you for letting me stay." Both of the parents nodded and started to leave the room. As she exited, Melinda looked back and saw her daughter slipping the device into her wrist. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up! I started a new job which means I'm not sitting at home all day and writing. But I will work as fast as I can to post the other chapters!! Please tell me what you think, I love to hear feedback. With the lack of comments, I was really worried readers weren't liking it. I'm getting to parts of the season where I'm going to be changing it up a bit from the episodes.


	6. Too Close for Comfort

**October 24, 2013**

Skye sat hunched over her desk in the lab staring at her pre-calculus homework. She was trying to work on it, but she didn't understand it and knew she was going to have to call her teacher for help. It probably didn't help that she was distracted by Simmons conducting a physical on Phil out in the cargo bay. Fitz and Ward were with her in the lab talking about the Night-night pistol. Fitz was not budging on the name. 

"Huh," Ward hummed after pulling the gun like he was going to shoot, "Sorry, Fitz. It's close, but it's not right."

"Really?" the engineer asked as he took the gun back, "'Cause Agent Coulson had no problems."

"It's an ounce too heavy," Ward explained. Skye turned to the men. 

"An ounce? Seriously?" she questioned. 

"Its the difference between success and failure," Ward replied, "When you're on a rooftop with a 15-mile-an-hour wind and your target is 500 yards away-" Fitz cut him off. 

"Yeah, but we do have a rifle," he pointed out. 

"Lose the ounce," Ward demanded and then walked away. 

"Yeah, okay," Fitz said, "On it." As soon as the specialist was out of the lab, Fitz deepened his voice, and in an American accent, he said, "I'm Agent Grant Ward, and I can shoot the legs off a flea from 500 yards, as long as it's not windy." Skye laughed, and Fitz chuckled. "Hey," he was back to his normal voice, "That's a sound I haven't heard in a bit."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't be laughing a whole lot if you were living in Ward's doghouse," Skye replied. 

"You made the rounds, apologized to us all. What more can he ask?" 

"I don't know. I have been busting my all memorizing every S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol manual, following every order. 'Yes, sir. No, sir.' I even let them tag me like a stray dog." Skye held up the arm her stupid nanny bracelet was on. "I mean, I know I lied to you guys, but I was trying to protect my boyfriend."

"You know, we all make mistakes. And who ca- I don't care- Who cares about your ex-boyfriend."

"It's not like I'm comparing Ward to Miles, but at least with Miles, I didn't have to worry about passive-aggressive stuff. There were no mind games. We spoke the same language, you know?" Fitz nodded along. He was so easy to talk to. Skye was pretty sure Fitz was interested in her, but she didn't like him like that. 

"Yeah. Yeah, a bit like we do."

"Totally. You and Simmons are so tight, it's like you're psychically linked."

  
"No, you- No. Actually, no. I don't think so."

"So, Ward was here," Simmons said as she entered the lab, "Let me guess- The Night-night pistol again?"

"Yeah. Oh, yeah," Fitz replied, "and he said it was off by an ounce." Simmons scoffed. 

"Of course, he did." Simmons put her hands on her hips, scrunched her face up, and used a gravelly voice as she said, "I'm Agent Grant Ward, and I could rupture your spleen with my pinky- Blindfolded!" Skye laughed again. 

"That is dead-on," she told the other woman. The lab doors opened, and Ward reentered.

"Hey. Hustle up and grab your gear," Ward informed them, "We're on a mission." He saw that Skye and Fitz were trying to hold in their laughter, "Something funny?" Skye shook her head. 

"Poor, silly Fitz," Simmons said as she picked up the Night-night pistol, "He mistakenly left a dummy round in the pistol," she offered it to him, "Should be proper now." Ward took the gun and did the same action he had before. 

"Great," he said as he put it back on the table, "Thanks." He left the lab, and all three of the younger team members laughed. Soon, the Bus landed at a county airport and headed to the woods just outside Wrigley, Pennsylvania. Her dad led them onto a campsite where some boy scouts had been the night before. 

"Troop leader's name was Adam Cross," Phil explained, "Apparently, he said he heard something in the woods, went to check it out. That's when the electrostatic anomaly occurred." He and FitzSimmons stopped at the fire ring while the other three broke off to inspect the surrounding area. Melinda popped the hood of the truck. 

"The battery blew straight up through the hood," she called out. Ward and Skye were across the campsite, and that is where they found the missing object. 

"Landed over here," Ward told the older woman. He and Skye kneeled next to the object. "Hell of a force to create that kind of trajectory." Skye grabbed a stick off the ground and poked at the fried battery. Ward rolled his eyes and stood up. Skye stood and stepped forward, trying to see what he was looking at. She bumped into him, making Ward look down at her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm shadowing my supervising officer," Skye answered.

" _Shadowing_ , not smothering," Ward told her as he stepped away. He walked in the direction the rest of the team had gone, "There's scorch marks all over that tree," Ward observed, "lucky the whole forest didn't burn down." Skye shook her head.

"I don't get it," Skye said, "Seems to me like this electroshock thingy was some freak lightning strike. I mean, why call us? What's the big-" Skye entered the clearing everyone else was standing in, and found the rest of the team standing around a dead body floating five feet off the ground. "Oh. Nevermind," she chuckled. What the hell makes anything float like that? Let alone a dead body. 

"So sad a man died this way," Simmons lamented, "And yet, so amazing." Skye walked up and tried to walk around her parents to get a closer look, but Melinda held her back and threw her a small glare. 

"FitzSimmons," Phil said to get their attention, "Any idea what could cause an effect like this?" Both of the scientists started speaking at the same time, but none of it made any sense to Skye. Phil cut them off, "Time. Let's try that again. Any idea what could cause an effect like this?" 

"Uh, no, no clue," Fitz said.

"The hell if I know," Simmons answered at the same time. 

"Seems to me like we're either dealing with some freak natural event or a high-tech weapon," Ward offered. 

" _Or_ it could be someone from your uber-secret index?" Skye added, and her mother shook her head. 

"There's no one on the index with this type of power," Melinda informed her. 

"That we know of," her dad added, "I'll contact Agent Blake at S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q., have him check it out. Whoever or whatever's responsible, we can't let this happen again." FitzSimmons started talking science again. When Simmons stepped closer to the body, and it fell to the ground with a thud. The parents pushed Skye another step back for good measure making the 17-year-old roll her eyes. With the victim no longer levitating, the team could pack up their things and the body and take them back to the Bus. Melinda took the only witness, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout, to the cage to interrogate him. Since Simmons had a dead guy in the lab, Skye decided to do her research on Adam Cross in the command center. She called for her dad when she was sure she had everything on the guy. Not only did Phil appear, but also Ward. 

"You found something on Cross?" Phil asked as he and Ward entered the command center. 

"Many things actually, but you already knew that thanks to my fancy S.H.I.E.L.D. house-arrest gizmo tracking my every key swipe, my online activity, my cholesterol," Skye pointed out. She hated the stupid bracelet, "Just wish it came in another color... or came off."

"The victim?" Ward reminded her.

"Adam Cross. Single, no kids, originally from Wrigley, Pennsylvania, not far from here."

"Been there," Phil said, looking at Skye, "They have a nice strawberry festival in the spring." Skye smiled, fondly remembering the many years she'd gone to the festival with her parents and the one year she'd had to go with her Uncle Clint and Aunt Nat. "Occupation?" her father asked. 

"Phys-Ed teacher at the local high school and varsity baseball coach, and troop leader, and volunteer firefighter. This guy makes Captain America look the 'The Dude.'" Skye chuckled, but both of the men looked confused. " _The Big Lebowski._ Seriously?" How had they not seen that movie? Especially her dad, her mom was the one who had introduced her to the film. 

"What about a criminal record, restraining order, something that might give us a suspect?" Ward pushed. Skye pulled up Cross' social media. 

"Nada-" she told them, "Not even a parking ticket. I skimmed all his posts, anyone linked to his pages, hoping for a crazy ex or superpowered stalker, and he's clean."

"Everybody looks clean on their first go-round," Ward stated, and Skye couldn't help but feel he was taking a stab at her. 

"Ward's right," Phil said, "we're missing something. Dig deeper." Skye nodded and went to her bunk to continue her search. She was only there for a half-hour before she was sent down to the lab because of another electro-thing event happening nearby. Both her parents and Ward were going to check it out. They arrived at a farm right after the event ended, and found another levitating dead guy. In her search for who owned the farm, Skye found that Adam Cross and the new victim, Frank Whallen were volunteers at the same firehouse. The two of them had been a part of a group that went to help clean up the Battle of New York. Somebody had to be killing off these men. 

Skye went with FitzSimmons to the farm to collect the body and examine the scene. Mostly she researched the firehouse that her parents and Ward were on their way to. Once they'd received the body, Skye drove them all back to the Bus. There, she watched Simmons examine Frank Whallen while Fitz dug through cabinets. 

"What are you looking for?" Skye asked. 

"A scented candle," Fitz answered. He wasn't a massive fan of the dead bodies being in their lab, and Skye couldn't blame him for that. 

"Not you," she told him.

"This wound-" Simmons replied, "Something doesn't quite make sense. Initially, I thought these were entry wounds, as if from a gunshot. But they're not- They're exit wounds." What? So it wasn't someone that was killing them; it was _something?_ Something inside them was the cause of death? How was that even possible? Fitz seemed to think the same thing because he and Simmons started to bicker. It was then that Skye noticed a nearby tablet beep. Another anomaly was happening at the same firehouse the other three team members were. Melinda turned on her comm at the same time and sent them a video of a Chitauri helmet. 

"FitzSimmons, are you seeing this?" the mother asked in awe.

"It's not a weapon," Simmons mumbled, "Yet it caused a cranial discharge."

"What are you doing with the helmet?" Phil asked over the comms.

"What, the alien thing?" someone, most likely their next victim, asked, "I-It's a souvenir."

"Answer the question, Mr. Diaz," Phil demanded, "What are you doing with the helmet?" 

"The first time anyone's touched it since New York was a couple nights ago," Mr. Diaz replied. 

  
"Why?"

"It had rust all over it! We were cleaning it!"

"That wasn't rust," Jemma said before yelling, "May, don't touch it! Sir, he's not using a weapon- He's infected! I think the helmet was the source of an alien virus." Skye gasped. 

"All we did was clean it-I swear!" Mr. Diaz cried, "Me, Frankie, and Adam- We- We were bored on the third shift, so- So we decided to clean it. Adam and Frankie..."

"Mr. Diaz, I'm putting the gun away now, okay?" Phil checked. 

"Sir," Simmons called, "He's at 600 megajoules and climbing. Sir?"

"Clear everybody out," Phil demanded, "Clear everybody out now." Skye let of a relieved sigh. Her parents were going to be okay. 

"I'm gonna wind up like them, aren't I?" those on the Bus heard Mr. Diaz ask, and Skye gasped again. Why was her dad still in there?"

"Why don't you take a seat?" Phil offered, and tears entered the teen's eyes. "You have any family? Wife, kids? Is there anyone you want to talk to? Anything I can do?"

"Sir, you have to get out of there right now!" Fitz yelled, but Skye knew her dad wouldn't listen.

"Listen to me," Phil continued, "I've been where you are right now. So please believe me when I tell you you don't have to be afraid."

"What are you- What are you talking about?"

"Your job- It gets pretty dangerous, doesn't it? Mine too. I got hurt once-pretty bad. And I... I died. Some say it was only for eight seconds, but I know it was more than that. I know I wasn't here anymore. I was there." Skye couldn't stop the tears that were rolling down her face. This was the first time she had really heard her dad talk about his death. She was also worried he would do it again tonight. 

"What's it like?" Mr. Diaz asked. 

"It's beautiful," her dad replied. The two of them were quiet for a minute before the other man spoke.

"You better get going, buddy." After that, it was quiet. The anomaly spiked before disappearing. Skye worried she'd lost her father until he spoke. 

"Skye, FitzSimmons, get out here. I'm going to call H.Q."

* * *

Skye wasn't able to pull her father into a hug until after the Bus was in the air again. The team was taking the helmet to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in Africa. Skye didn't find her father on either the first or second floors, so she went to the third floor. She was confused when she didn't find him in his office, but as she turned to go check his bunk, Skye saw Phil coming out of the cockpit. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Daddy," Skye told him, tears entering her eyes again. 

"I love you too, Angel," he replied before kissing her temple, "I'm sorry if I scared you last night."

"Please don't make a habit out of close calls like that. I still need you."

"I know, Sweetheart," Phil kissed her temple again, "I know." They stayed like that for a few minutes before her father pulled away, "Simmons thinks she's found something. I need to go check in with her."

* * *

"Simmons believes she contracted the virus approximately 36 hours ago when she received an electrostatic shock from the first victim," Phil told Melinda, Ward, and Skye. Skye felt her chest tighten. Why did it have to be Simmons?

"How much time does she have?" Skye asked though she wasn't sure she really wanted an answer.

"Based on when the firemen were infected, how quickly their symptoms manifested... two hours at most," Phil told his daughter. 

"That's enough time, right? I mean S.H.I.E.L.D. has dozens of labs and scientists working on this thing, don't they?" Skye questioned worriedly. 

"They do," Phil told her before turning to Melinda, "How soon can you get us on the ground?"

"Three hours," Melinda responded, "Our path to the Sandbox has us right in the middle of the Atlantic." 

"Sir," Ward said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but if we can't land in time..." Phil finished for him. 

"Simmons will release a pulse that will blow this plane right out of the sky."

"We can't just sit here and watch her die," Skye argued, "We have to do something."

"There's only one person on this plane capable of finding a solution for this, and I'm willing to bet my life that she will." They all turned to look where Fitz and Simmons sat back to back, divided by the lab's glass walls. 

"She's just a kid," Melinda sighed. 

Skye tried working on her homework, but after 30 minutes, she'd only managed to read and understand a sentence of _Beowulf._ She groaned and tossed the tablet to the side. When Skye left her bunk, she saw Ward was in the command center, watching FitzSimmons work. 

"Why aren't you down there?" she asked him.

"They don't need an audience," Ward replied without looking at her. Skye nodded and figured he wanted to be left alone, so she turned to leave, but he called out, "You can stay if you want." Skye joined him in leaning against the table. 

"I hate this," Skye told him, "I just feel so-" 

"Helpless," Ward finished for her.

"Yeah."

"I wanted it to be a person, some superpowered psychopath. Someone I could hurt, someone I could... punish. _That_ I could do. What I can't do is protect you guys from stuff I can't even see or understand." Skye was surprised he was telling her this, exposing just how helpless he felt. 

"So, what do we do?"

"We wait... and get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For whatever it is, we're called upon to do." Skye was worried about what that could possibly be. The two were silent while they were watching the other two work. Then her dad appeared to check in with Skye to make sure she was okay. She was reassuring him that she was holding up alright when Fitz ran by them, carrying the box that held the helmet. They chased after him and found that he had broken the quarantine to help Simmons in the lab. They watched FitzSimmons work, being joined by Ward and Melinda. It felt like they had been standing there for hours, but only 20 minutes later, Fitz went over to the test rats to administer the antiserum. It seemed like it worked for a minute, and then the rodent gave off a blue pulse and started to float. Skye began crying as Simmons moved to stand in front of Phil. 

"Sir," Simmons said, "I know the protocol in these circumstances, but could you please tell my dad first?" her voice broke, "I just think my mum would take it better if it comes from him."

"We're not there yet," Phil told her, "There's still time."

"Sir, please," Simmons turned to address the rest of the team, "Would you mind if I had a brief moment alone with Fitz?" Melinda had to guide Skye away from the lab and up the stairs. They were all in the command center when an alarm started to sound. Simmons was lowering the cargo ramp. She was going to jump. 

Ward stopped Fitz from jumping out after her. Apparently, the antiserum had worked and just knocked the rat out, so when the man went after her, Ward took the device that administered the drug. Ward was able to save Simmons' life. The team then spent an hour talking with the Moroccan S.H.I.E.L.D. office to get them to fish their members out of the ocean. And once they were back on the Bus, Ward, and Simmons spent half an hour being yelled at by Phil. When she heard Simmons and Ward talking, Skye exited her bunk. 

"Hello, Skye," Simmons greeted, and the teen quickly crossed the distance and threw her arms around the slightly older girl. "Oh!"

"Please, never do that again," Skye whispered, "You and Fitz are my best friends. Hell, you're my _only_ friends." Simmons returned the hug.

"You're our friend too, Skye," the biochemist replied quietly. Skye smiled, relieved to still have the other girl around. 

* * *

That night, Skye lay in her bed, scrolling through social media until she could fall asleep. She jumped when her bunk door slid open, but calmed when she saw it was her dad. The man made his daughter scoot over so he could also lie down. Skye put her head on Phil's shoulder. 

"You've had a rough couple of days, huh?" Phil asked.

"How do you do it? How have you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. for so long and not freak out about one of your friends almost dying? _Hell,_ you _did_ die, and you still want to be in the field!" Phil chuckled and kissed the top of the teen's head. 

"I do it for the same reason you told us you joined the Rising Tide. My need to help is more profound than my fear of dying. And if my friends or I die, we left this world trying to make it a better place. 

"Could you at least try not to die again anytime soon?"

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

"I guess that will have to do."

"I love you, Skye."

"I love you too, Daddy."

"Get some sleep. Who knows what will come next." Skye nodded and hugged her dad.

"Will you stay 'till I fall asleep?" Skye asked, and Phil kissed her head again. 

"Always, Angel." Skye drifted off to sleep listening to her father's heartbeat. Content that he and the rest of her team were safe, for now at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait! I took on a bit of a second job for a little bit there and that was all I was working on when I wasn't at work, so that's why it has taken so long to get this one out. Let me know that you think!


	7. Trust the System

**November 4, 2013**

Skye sat in one of the chairs in the Bus's sitting area, working on an economics project while eating yogurt. Fitz was seated across from her drinking coffee. The team was on a mission to extract an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stationed in a Siberian prison. Coulson, Melinda, and Ward had gone in to fetch him while Fitz ran the mission on the back end. Simmons set up the lab for a procedure to extract the flash drive the agent had stashed up his nose. Once they were all back, the engineer joined the teen to avoid the surgery happening in the lab. He stood when Coulson and Simmons entered the room. 

"Ah good," Fitz said, "You're done with the paranasal nonsense. Sir, do you need me to analyze the data?"

"That won't be necessary," Phil informed him, walking right past them. 

"If it's encrypted, I can mine the chip for him," Skye offered. 

"I'm afraid this mission's classified," Phil replied. "Clearance level eight." The team all nodded as he turned to head up the spiral staircase. Skye was confused. Clearance level? The rest of the group started to disperse.

"Wait, what? He can just shut us out of the process like that?" the teen asked. 

"Well, he did say the mission was level eight," Fitz pointed out. 

"And we're not, so we can't know about it," Simmons explained as though it was apparent. 

"Right, but this is normally the part where we all stand around the fancy table, and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team?" Skye asked, frustrated that no one else had a problem with it. 

"No need to get started on one of your socialist riffs," Fitz joked, "Also, it's called the Hollocom." Skye rolled her eyes. Everything had a proper name, and it was what it should be called. 

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whole infrastructure is base on hierarchy and compartmentalization of intelligence," Simmons explained.

"Every agent can't have the intel on every mission," Ward added, "Makes the entire organization vulnerable."

"Okay, fine," Skye said as everyone but her mother walked away, "but if I fought my way out of an underground prison, I'd kind of want to know what for."

"Your dad's got you used to the plane," Melinda observed, "the way we do missions here. The Hub is different." Skye perked at that.

"The Hub? Wait, are we headed for the Hub?" the teen excitedly asked, following after the older woman, "Are any of the aunts and uncles there?"

"We shouldn't be there very long," Melinda told her daughter with a smirk, "And if we are, you won't see them." Skye's brow furrowed, "You aren't supposed to know anyone," the mother pointed out, and Skye pouted. The teen flopped down into the co-pilot's seat next to Melinda. "Don't look at me like that, Skyler."

"But it's been so long," Skye whined, and her mother had a flashback to when she was eight and had said the same thing when she wanted to see one of her strange family members. Melinda rolled her eyes, just as she did nine years ago.

"I'll see what we can do," Melinda told her, making Skye gasp, "Only if you finish that homework before we get there." The teen's eyes widened before she hurried out of the cockpit to bet back to her work. 

* * *

Skye was able to turn in the project long before they were supposed to land, so the teen could get some sleep before arriving at the Hub. As the team disembarked the Bus, Skye looked around in awe. It had been years since she'd gone to work with one of her parents, and the building had gone through some renovations, so it looked completely different. She followed after the rest of the team to the main desk where they all picked up badges, but there wasn't one there for her. Skye had always gotten a badge when she came before. 

"Don't I get one?" Skye asked her father as they walked away from the desk. 

"That's your badge," Phil answered, pointing at her tracking bracelet, "Which means you've got a long way to go to even make level one." 

"Copy that," Skye sighed. She looked behind them to their group before whispering, "Does that also mean no access to the training facilities or the bunks? Mama told me Aunt Vic and Aunt Izzy are here." Phil glanced back to the others. 

"Skye..." he warned. 

"But it's been so long since I saw them," the teen whined. 

"Victoria will be very busy, but if you can get away and find her, I'll allow it. Agent Sitwell." Skye pursed her lips when she saw the bald agent. She'd never liked Jasper Sitwell, and he'd always made it evident that he didn't like her either. 

"Agent Coulson. Good to see you feeling better," Sitwell greeted, "Agent Hand's waiting for you in the situation room." 

"And she doesn't like to wait," Phil added.

"Your level sevens can join us in the briefing," the sentence was said to Phil, but was directed at Skye smugly, and the teen rolled her eyes. Sitwell, Phil, Melinda, and Ward entered the situation room, and FitzSimmons promptly left Skye standing there. The teen huffed. 

"Don't worry," she said to herself, "I'll find my way around." Skye pulled out her phone and sent a text to her aunt.

  * "Hey! We're here, and I'm alone! What are you doing? Where you at?"



Skye wandered back to the center of the Hub while she waited for a reply. It took a couple minutes for her phone to buzz. 

  * "Hey, Girly! I'm training with Bobbi. Give me 20. I'll come get ya."



Skye smiled. 

  * "I'll be waiting. Stupid nanny bracelet won't let me go anywhere anyway."



Right after sending the message, her phone vibrated, and Skye was amazed Izzy had replied so quickly. She found it was a text from her mother instead. 

  * "Where are you?"



  * "??
  * Being watched far too closely by the agent at the front desk. 
  * Why?"



  * "Team's meeting back there."



Skye was confused. They'd just gotten there. The stupid meeting could have only been held over a video call instead of flying half-way across the world. 

  * "Are we leaving already?"



Simmons appeared at the teen's side.

"Oh, Skye!" the older girl gushed, "We've only been gone a couple months, and they've advanced on so much! Look! Seems Fitz found some new things as well!" Down one of the hallways, the other scientist was pushing a cart full of S.H.I.E.L.D. cases. He started talking as the doors opened in front of him. 

"I found a localized E.M.P., plus a few other party favors!" The glass doors closed on the cart, and Skye couldn't help but chuckle at his frustration. "Oh, come on. What the... Open! It's stuck! The cart's stuck!" While he fought with the doors, Skye sent another text to her aunt. 

  * "Nevermind. I guess we're heading back to the Bus. I was really hoping I'd get to see you and Aunt Vic. Really, anyone other than Shitwell.
  * Yuck!"



Once Simmons helped Fitz out, the entire team went back to the plane. Immediately, they gathered around the "Holocom," and Skye thought they were going to be getting some answers. Nope. Instead, her dad informed them that Ward and Fitz were going on a mission in Ossetia alone, without any comms, to disable a deadly weapon. Without backup or anything. This was nuts! When they were dismissed, Skye was sent by Fitz to find something in one of the supply closets. On the way, she checked her phone and saw Izzy had replied. 

  * "Don't worry. You guys aren't leaving.
  * BTW I am calling him that from now on!"



Skye laughed. She quickly found what she thought Fitz requested and took it back to his bunk. Simmons seemed to be very worried for her friend. Fitz was nervous, but he seemed to be holding it together nicely. Ward and Fitz left, and Skye went to go see her father. 

"Dad, does this feel okay to you?" she asked, "Shouldn't we be going with them?"

"The people who put these ops together are the best of the best," Phil explained, "They know what they are doing." Before exiting the room, he handed her some cash and said, "Go grab some food in the cafe. I hear some people want to see you." Skye smiled and left the plane. 

* * *

"There's our girl!" Izzy cheered as Skye approached the table she and Victoria were seated at. Both of them stood to hug the teen. 

"I've missed you guys," Skye mumbled while in Victoria's embrace.

"We've missed you too," the redhead told her, "Though I am disappointed with you and what you were doing." Skye huffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Skye replied, sitting down, "You and literally everyone else. Even Aunt Laura called to yell at me. But I'm growing and learning to be a good agent."

"Your new accessory says otherwise, Kid," Izzy pointed out, and Skye glared at her. 

"Can we talk about anything other than how much of a disappointment I am?" 

"You are _not_ a disappointment, Skyler May," Victoria told the teen sternly, "You've just been making some wrong choices. We still love you." Skye nodded. 

"How have you been doing with your schoolwork?" Izzy changed the subject. 

"Pretty good. My econ grade is a tad low, but I just turned in a project with a bunch of extra credit options, so that should help it. I was having trouble with my chemistry work, but I've been asking FitzSimmons for help. Simmons is better at explaining it to me so I can understand it than Fitz is, but he tries. 

"Don't they think you're 21?" Victoria questioned. 

"Yeah," Skye nodded, "but they also think I dropped out of high school. So, I told them and Ward that I'm working on getting my G.E.D." Both of the women smiled at that.

"Smart," Victoria commented. The three of them finished with their meals and spent time catching up. As they were getting ready to leave, Skye asked a question that made Victoria's face turn cold. 

"What can you tell me about Ward and Fitz's mission?" 

"Go back to your plane, Skye," her aunt answered. Skye sighed in defeat but gave both of the women hugs. When she returned to the Bus, Skye found many agents loading supplies and equipment with Melinda supervising. The teen joined Simmons in the lab and took advantage of the lack of Fitz to get help with her chem homework, even with the other agents working around them. Simmons freaked when one of the men almost knocked the Night-night gun off the counter. 

"Oh! No, no, no, no, no, no," the Brit chanted as she caught the object. She looked to the agent, "Please be careful." Simmons put the pistol into her bag, "Can you imagine what Fitz would do if the Night-night gun was broken when he came back?" she sighed, "Surely, he'll be okay out there, right?"

"Well, Agent May is level seven," Skye replied, turning to look at her mother sitting across from her, "Maybe she can give up an update on their mission." Melinda glared at her, "Does that mean that you do know something and you can't tell us, or that you don't know anything? Which non-expression is this?"

"We know what we're supposed to," Melinda told both of the young women, "When we have more information, we'll react." Skye rolled her eyes and went back to her work. "Alright, clear out!" Melinda called out, "I need to run some diagnostics, then reboot. That means you two too. Off." The mother marched out of the lab, and Skye closed her laptop. She turned to Simmons. 

"You guys may be okay with being in the dark, but I'm not into it," Skye told her, "I need answers. And I know just the person who has them."

"Who?" Simmons asked her.

"Coulson," Skye said, "I'm obviously talking about Coulson." She led the older girl through the Hub, looking for the man. Giving up, they sat down on a bench, waiting for her father to exit the situation room. The longer they sat, the more Simmons' leg bounced. When she saw her father came through the door, Skye chased after him. "Hey. Fancy seeing you here."

"Skye," Phil sighed, "What are you doing?"

"I want to know more about Ward and Fitz's mission. Simmons is seriously starting to unravel without Fitz."

"I want to know it's hard to hear, but you don't have the clearance."

"But I have eyes!" Skye argued, "I saw six squads in full tactical gear, three crates of R.P.G.s, and a full crew of analysts head to Operations. Are you _really_ telling me that has nothing to do with Ward and Fitz's mission? If I'm right, give me a signal by not saying anything."

"Trust the system." Phil walked away, and Skye watched him go. Simmons appeared next to her, very nervous. 

"How did it go?" she asked. 

"Nothing," Skye grumbled, "He's acting like a robot version of himself. If we want the truth, we've got to get it ourselves."

"Okay," Simmons nodded, "How would you suggest- Oh, wait. No. No."

"Yes."

"No! I can't be apart of your Bad-Girl Shenanigans. I like following the rules and doing what's expected of me. It makes me feel nice."

"Simmons, wake up! Ward and Fitz went on a top-secret, two-man operation, and look," Skye pointed to the tactical gear agents passing them, "There are more men. And either it's a bigger deal, and they're not telling up, or something went wrong out there. And maybe there's nothing we can do to help, but we've got to know if there is. What if they're injured or being tortured somewhere right now?"

"Fitz. Tortured." Simmons took a deep breath, "What exactly do you have to mind?" Skye smiled. 

"Give me an hour."

* * *

Skye and Simmons stood outside of the Operations corridor of the Hub to start off their "Bad-Girl Shenanigans." They were using a flash drive with a decoy crawler to make whoever monitoring her think she was on social media while Skye was really hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. Everything was going brilliantly. Simmons had gotten in fine and was getting ready to insert the drive when Sitwell appeared out of nowhere. 

"Agent Simmons?" he asked.

"It's fine," Skye reassured, "Just play it cool."

"Hello, Mr. Agent Sitwell, Sir," Simmons greeted, "May I help you?"

"Call me Jasper," the man said nicely, and Skye rolled her eyes.

"What brings you to this restricted hallway so late at night?" Simmons asked. 

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied. 

"No," Simmons chuckled, "Don't."

"Simmons, focus," Skye coached, "Just make up an excuse."

"I was just on my way to the loo," the doctor tried, and Skye hung her head, "I could swear it was two rights and a left, but is that it here?"

"That's a wall panel," Sitwell replied, "Why are you accessing it?" 

"Don't spiral," Skye instructed, "Just say something. Anything."

"You certainly have a gorgeous head, don't you?" WHAT??? "I like men that are about my height, but heavier than me." 

"Stop talking!" Skye demanded, "Stop!"

"Agent Simmons, do you have authorization to access that panel?" Sitwell asked. 

"Say yes," Skye told Simmons, "Say you do."

"Oh-y-of course," Simmons studdered, "I certainly have it right here in my bag. He's onto me."

"Stop talking to me!" Skye yelled in a whisper, "He can hear you!!"

"Are you on comms with someone?" Sitwell asked before pulling out a walkie-talkie, "This is Agent Sitwell. I need an escort-" Skye watched as Simmons pulled out the Night-night gun and shot the man. 

"Ahh! I'm sorry!"

"Oh my god," Skye said in disbelief, "Oh my god!" Simmons inserted the flash drive and pulled Sitwell out of view. When she was outside the hall and in front of Skye, she asked a question that Skye couldn't believe. 

"Was that alright?"

"That was terrible!" Skye answered, "You are terrible at this! That was a total meltdown."

"The Night-night gun was right there, and I-" Simmons gasped.

"We need help. You need to go get May."

"May? No!"

"Listen! That flash drive only gave me a few minutes of access to the Hub's mainframe to find out what happened to our boys, so go get May, okay? Just tell her it was an accident." Simmons seemed to be hyperventilating. 

"I'm going to be court-martialed," she said before leaving. 

"I hope this works," Skye sighed before running off to hide in a dark corner. She started hacking into the mainframe. When she got in, Skye couldn't believe what the status of their boys said. There was no extraction plan! The teenager jumped when her laptop closed. 

"What did I tell you?" Phill asked her. 

  
"You told me to trust the system," Skye replied, "And the system sent Ward and Fitz in there to die." He took the laptop and pointed. 

  
"To the Bus," he demanded, "Now." Skye glared at her father for a few moments before doing as he said. As the two of them walked. Phil reprimanded her. "You promised there would be no more hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D., Skye. What the hell were you thinking?"

  
"I was thinking I was worried about my friends, and this was the only way I will get any answers!" Skye argued.

  
"It's a classified operation."

  
"It's a suicide mission! I saw it all! The troop placements, the aerial assault. Once Ward and Fitz disable that device, there's going to be a huge attack on that compound with _no_ extraction plan, and you hid that from us!" Phill pulled her down a secluded corridor.

  
"I didn't hide anything from you. You don't have the clearance to know that."

  
"Is that really what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s all about? Level fives are more expendable than level eight? Is that all we are just a number? You told me that being on the Bus was preparing me and showing me how S.H.I.E.L.D. works, but it's nothing like this!"

  
"Are you done?" 

  
"I don't know. Am I?"

  
"If S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps a secret from you, it's for a good reason."

  
"So, they can hold all the secrets."

  
"Don't interrupt. You just hacked a level eight secure server, saw operations plans that you have no context for. If details get out, the whole operation could be compromised, lives could be lost, Ward and Fitz among them."

  
"I know! Those are two people we care about! On the plane, you're always telling me to think outside the box, so I went off-book 'cause I was trying to watch their backs!"

  
"Our team can go off-book because there _is_ a book, Skye. A Hub. An organization watching our backs. You claim that you want to be apart of that, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Do you?"

  
"Yes."

  
"Because someday, I may have to trust you with a secret bigger than the ones we've already told you, and I need to know that you can keep it. Now get back to the Bus."

  
"Can I ask you a question first?"

  
"Of course. You can always ask me questions, Angel. There's no guarantee I'll be able to answer, though."

  
"Did you know there was no extraction plan for Ward and Fitz?"

  
"That's classified," Phil answered without a beat before walking away, and Skye went back to the Bus. On her way, she ran into Simmons and May in the hanger bay. 

  
"Simmons! May!" she called as she jogged to catch up, "Ward and Fitz, their mission is doomed. They don't have an extraction plan." Melinda stopped and looked between the two young women. 

  
"Do I want to know how you know this?" the mother asked. 

  
"Not right now, no, you don't," Skye answered. Melinda nodded and motioned toward their plane. 

  
"Let's get going then." As they walked up the cargo ramp, she said, "You got the information. Now we react."

  
"We're gonna get our guys," Skye said proudly.

  
"Somebody had to," Melinda told her daughter. 

  
"What about the S.H.I.E.L.D. assault?" Simmons asked. 

  
"We won't interfere," Melinda reassured, "You don't need a battalion of an extraction. Three can pull it off." 

  
"Four's better." Standing above them on the catwalk was Phil. Skye was surprised to see him. How had he beat her here?

  
"You're in?" she asked, "I thought we all had to be level eight to discuss this."

  
"We're not discussing anything," he replied. Skye looked to the other two and saw that they were smiling. 

* * *

The Bus hadn't been in the air very long when Phil appeared at Skye's side. The teen was sitting on one of the couches next to Simmons, trying to keep her calm. She was worried that they wouldn't be able to make it there on time, and Skye really didn't blame her. The man was silent for a few moments, observing the two young women before he spoke gently. 

"Skye, Agent May, would like to see you in the cockpit." She looked to Simmons who didn't seem to be shocked the older woman was requesting to see Skye. The teen nodded and stood up. 

"Will you stay with her?" Skye asked her father. He nodded, so Skye went up the spiral staircase and knocked on the door. 

"Enter!" Melinda called out. Once Skye was in the cockpit, the mother said, "Sit down, Skye." The daughter did as she was told and sat in the co-pilot's seat, "Want to tell me how you knew the information on this mission?" Skye looked down to her lap, where her hands were wringing. 

"I hacked into the Hub's mainframe," she answered. Melinda nodded. 

"And am I wrong in assuming that you talked Simmons into helping you? And that is how Jasper Sitwell got shot with the tranquilizer?"

"No, Ma'am," Melinda nodded, "In my defense, I didn't tell her to shoot him. That was just Simmons freaking out." The mother raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"You're not going to defend why you hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Skye shrugged. 

  
"I wanted to be sure Ward and Fitz were going to be okay. But I know it doesn't matter anyway. You're still going to be upset with me."

  
"You're right. Your father and I are upset that you hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. _again_ after you _promised_ us you wouldn't. But do you want to know anything else?" Skye gave her mother a curious look, "We knew you would do it again."

  
"What?" Skye asked. 

  
"They always had an extraction plan, Skye. We were always going to be the plan to get them out. But we wanted to test you. See if we could trust you."

  
"I'm guessing I failed?"

  
"You almost made it too. If you had only waited ten more minutes, you would have passed, and Victoria would have sent us in."

  
"How much trouble am I in?"

  
"Not much. See, if you had passed, your tacking bracelet would be coming off. Instead, it stays on. Now, we will be arriving soon. Let the others know we should be expecting some turbulence." Skye huffed in disappointment and stood. Before exiting, she looked back. 

  
"I really am sorry, Mama."

  
"I know you are, Bǎobèi. I love you."

  
"I love you too." With that, Skye left the cockpit. They were able to save their boys just as the attack started Skye had never been so happy to see Grant Ward as she was at that moment. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Later that night, Skye was lying in her bunk when she received a phone call. 

  
"You could have told me it was a test," Skye answered the phoned in loo of a greeting. 

  
"Hello to you, too," Izzy laughed.

  
"Yeah, hi, whatever. Why didn't you tell me?" Skye replied with an eye roll. 

  
"Telling you would have defeated the point of the test," Victoria told her, and Skye blushed. 

  
"Oh, I didn't realize both of you were on the call," the teen admitted. 

  
"You would have if you answered like a normal person," Izzy pointed out, and Skye pouted. 

  
"Yeah, yeah," Skye replied. "Did you call to tell me how disappointed you are in my choices?"

  
"We're actually calling to tell you that we are proud of you," Izzy informed her, "But if you'd rather Vic lecture-" Skye cut her off. 

  
"No, no! Please! Praise me!" Both of the aunts chuckled. 

  
"You lasted longer than many thought you would," Victoria said, "And the only reason you did it was to save your team members. I'm very proud of you for that." Skye smiled. 

  
"Thanks, Aunt Vic." 

  
"You're welcome, Sweetheart."

  
"I'm proud of you because you hacked into a level eight secure server in minutes. That is _extremely_ impressive, Kiddo!" Izzy praised. 

  
"Isabelle!" Victoria scolded.

  
"Ow! Vic, that hurt." Skye chuckled. 

  
"Thanks, Aunt Izz." 

  
"Maybe next time, find a partner in crime who won't panic and shoot a superior agent, yeah?" Victoria told the teen with some mirth in her voice. 

  
"I'll try," Skye assured her aunt, "I'm delighted I got to see you guys."

  
"We're happy we got to see you too, Skye," Izzy replied. 

  
"Be good on that plane, Honey," Victoria added, "We love you."

"Love you guys too. Goodnight!" Skye stated. After the two women hung up, the 17-year-old laid back down and fell asleep with a smile. Happy to finally get to see at least some of her family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working very hard on this story guys. I decided to get into the medical field (just the front desk) during a pandemic and work has been hectic lately and I haven't been in a very big mood to write when I get home. But I want you all to know that I have not given up on this story.


	8. Berserker

**November 17, 2013**

This was so cool! Thor had come back to fight off another alien invasion. Unfortunately, he left Greenwich University with a crap-ton of extraterrestrial trash that S.H.I.E.L.D. had to clean up. Okay, so it wasn't _that_ cool, but still! This meant Thor wasn't actually a god, but an _alien!_ Her parents didn't see this information was as fresh as Skye did. 

"You guys may think it's old news, but it's new," Skye told her parents as they walked through one of the libraries S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken over at the university, "News to everybody else. So, Asgardians are aliens from another planet that visited us thousands of years ago?"

"Or more," Phil answered, placing more things into the box his daughter was carrying. 

"And because we couldn't understand aliens, we thought they were gods?"

"That's where our Norse Mythology comes from," Phil confirmed. The 17-year-old sighed in amazement. 

"That's too crazy. Do you think other deities are aliens too? Vishnu, for sure, right?"

"You know," Phil said, completely ignoring his daughter's rambling, "It'd be nice if for once, Thor and his people sent down the god of cleaning up after yourself. They probably have a magic broom for this kind of thing."

  
"I just wish they'd left their alien ship behind," Skye lamented. 

  
"So, we can clean that up too?" Melinda joked. 

  
"So we could go inside, take a peek under the hood," the daughter answered, "maybe take it for a spin." Melinda raised her eyebrows at that, "Come on, you're telling me piloting an alien ship isn't on your bucket list?" The mother seemed to consider it.

  
"I can't think of a single time when anything alien in human hands ended well," Phil said. 

  
"Wouldn't mind getting my human hands on Thor," Skye mumbled, "He's so dreamy."

  
"Skye," Melinda chuckled while Phil shook his head.

  
"Sure," the father said, "he's handsome, but--"

  
"No," Melinda cut him off, "He's dreamy." The mother walked away, and Skye gave her father a taunting face before following the other woman. They filled the box Skye was carrying, and she gave it to FitzSimmons, who were examining the pieces. 

  
"How ya doing, Simmons?" Skye asked. While Skye found the extraterrestrial debris impressive, the woman who'd had an alien virus just a few weeks prior probably felt differently. 

  
"I'm fine, Skye. Really," Simmons assured her with a smile before returning to her work. Skye looked to Fitz to check with him, and he gave her a silent nod. From the way he looked at the other woman, Skye knew he was watching her closely. 

  
"Alright," the teen said, "I guess I'll go back to picking through the trash." 

  
"Don't," Phil said as she and Melinda approached, "We've got an Op. We're leaving now. 

  
"Where are we headed, Sir?" Ward asked. 

  
"Trillemarka National Park in Buskerud, Norway," Phil answered, "Let's go."

* * *

Apparently, some crazy couple went into the park and cut down one of the trees. When a pair of park rangers arrived to confront them, the woman was able to kill one of them with a single punch that sent him soaring into a tree. Phil, Ward, and Simmons went to the park while the others stayed on the Bus to research. Well, Melinda and Fitz were doing research, Skye had a Spanish lesson to get through. When she finished, she joined her mother at the Holocom. Melinda was looking for any reports on anyone using similar strengths. The two of them found a live news report on riots happening in Oslo. The violence was led by a couple that matched the descriptions the surviving ranger had gave them. Before leaving, the group left the words, "WE ARE GODS," in the middle of the street written in fire. Using facial recognition, Skye was able to learn everything on the couple.

  
"Jakob Nystrom, 30," Ward debriefed FitzSimmons, "Girlfriend, Petra Larsen. Leaders of a Norse Paganist hate group."

"Norse Paganist?" Simmons asked. 

  
"Obsessed with anything derived from Norse Mythology," Skye explained, "Stories of Asgard."

  
"And now a weapon," Ward added as he picked up the 3D-model Fitz had printed from a scan of the indent in the vandalized tree.

  
"The scan only accounted for one side," Fitz told them, "Too much damage to the tree for a complete reproduction."

  
"But see here," Simmons pointed out, "It's clearly broken on both ends."

  
"So, there are more pieces?" Ward wondered aloud. 

  
"Yeah," Fitz confirmed, "Two, at least."

  
"Which means Sid and Nancy may be looking for a complete set," Ward stated. Phil and Melinda entered the labs, "What are the markings?"

  
"Asgardian symbolism," Phil answered, "Hard to translate with our limited knowledge."

  
"You should give your buddy the God of Thunder a shout," Skye told her dad, "He gets his power from his hammer, right? What if this is his nail to the hammer?"

  
"I already did," Phil replied, "Director Fury told me he's off-grid. And if he has a cell phone, we don't have the number."

  
"S.H.I.E.L.D's investigations are on the trail of Nystrom and his followers," Melinda informed the team.

  
"We're charged with identifying the object and finding any other pieces before they do," Phil said.

  
"They seem to have some advantage," Ward pointed, "They found this thing in 150 square kilometers of a Norwegian forest."

  
"Guys," Skye interrupted as though she'd had an epiphany, "What if it called to them with magic?" Everyone but Phil glared at her.

  
"Called to them," Melinda repeated dryly.

  
"We know it's Asgardian," Skye explained, "so the rules are a little bendy here."

  
"Just because we don't understand something yet, doesn't mean we should regress to the Dark Ages," Jemma argued, "talking of magic and fairy tales."

  
"Actually," Phil said, "that's exactly what we're going to do."

  
"Excuse me?" Simmons squeaked. 

  
"Really?" Skye asked at the same time. It was rare someone agreed with one of Skye's ideas.

  
"When we first found the hammer in New Mexico, I consulted one of the world's leading experts in Norse mythology," her father explained, "Elliot Randolf, a professor at a university in Seville. We'll leave immediately. Maybe he can tell us more about these markings."

  
"Lock it or lose it, people," Melinda said, walking toward the lab doors, "Wheels up in five." 

  
Skye had every intention to join her father in meeting Dr. Randolf, but she hadn't finished her Beowulf essay, and it was late. When her mother found out, she made Skye sit down in the cockpit and write. In Skye's defense, they were always changing timezones, and it was hard to keep track of when she needed to turn things in. Melinda still wasn't happy. So instead, Phil took Fitz and Simmons to the university. At the same time, Ward watched Nystrom's followers' message boards, Melinda ran diagnostics, and Skye finished her paper. 

  
Randolf told them they were most likely working with the Berserker Staff, the weapon of a mighty warrior from Asgard. It made whoever wielded the staff go into an uncontrollable rage. The staff was supposedly broken into three pieces and hidden around the globe. S.H.I.E.L.D. was looking all over the world for the remaining parts of the staff before Nystrom and his people. Once she turned in her paper, Skye and Melinda took over watching the message boards and start searching for Viking routes, as Randolf had suggested. Ward and her father joined her at the Holocom.

  
"Randolf said to check Viking routes," Ward said, "Find any?"

  
"There's some sites along the Volga River in Russia, some in Kyiv, and weirdly, here," Skye listed. 

  
"In Seville, Spain?" Phil questioned.

  
"It's a long shot," Skye said, "but Vikings sacked Seville twice."

  
"We found one promising location with Viking relics," Melinda said as she reentered the command center, "El Divino Niño. A church built on the ruins of an eighth-century crypt built on Roman ruins from 206 B.C." The team headed for the church. Ward and Skye went underground while Phil and Fitz waited in the SUV.

  
"How you doing, Agent Ward?" Phil asked over comms.

  
"Wishing I was shorter," the man grumbled in reply, "Nothing yet. All my readings are normal."

  
"What about you, Skye?" Phil questioned, "Any luck?"

  
"I'm lucky, my S.O. volunteered to take the super-creepy hallway instead of the slightly less-creepy dungeon-room place," Skye answered. The room she was in looked like it belonged in a haunted house. Any minute now, a man dressed as a clown would hop out of one of the chests or dark corners. "I got nothing. Sorry. Nada."

"Ward," Fitz cut in, "Your spectrograph is reading something near you."

  
"I don't see anything," Ward told him.

  
"Well, it's right in front of you," the engineer replied, "Oh, wait. No. Uh, okay. Hold on. It's moving. Northwest."

  
"Visual contact."

  
"Ward, turn left."

  
"Ran into some unexpected-Ah!" Ward moaned in pain. Skye started to run toward him. 

  
"Ward, what's happening?" Phil asked, "Skye, can you-"

  
"I'm already on it," she interrupted as she ran. When she found her superior officer, he was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Ward! Are you alright?" Skye knelt next to him, and Ward gasped, quickly scuttling away form her. "Hey, hey, hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Grant, calm down. Calm down, please." The man continued to gasp for air, "Calm down. Deep breaths."

  
"The staff," Ward said between breaths, "He has it." Ward seemed strange; Skye'd never seen him like this. 

  
"Something's wrong with Ward," she told the others over comms. "The staff's gone. Someone took it."

  
"Okay, Skye," Phil reassured her, "We'll handle it. There's only one way out. You help Ward. He can't just disappear." Phil was able to track down the guy that took the piece of the staff, Professor Randolf, but not before Nystrom got to him. They went back to the Bus, locking the prof in the Cage. While Phil questioned the man, Skye watched Simmons fuss over Ward, giving him a full check-up. The Specialist was _not_ happy about this. 

  
"This is ridiculous," he told Simmons.

  
"It's anything but," Skye told him sternly, and she couldn't help but think she might sound like her mother. "Ward, you passed out. And, you were acting...not right."

  
"Coulson ordered me to give you a full workup," Simmons told him, "and that's _exactly_ what I'm doing. Um, before you lost consciousness, were you feeling claustrophobic?"

  
"Why?" Ward growled. 

  
"She's ruling out a panic attack," Fitz answered his attention mainly on his tablet. At that moment, Skye really wanted to hit Fitz. Ward was already upset. Why tell him something that would agitate him more?

  
"I don't panic," Ward said, "Ever."

  
"There we go," Simmons said sweetly, "Ruled out."

  
"Touching the staff caused it, right?" Skye asked him.

  
"Any residual effects?" Simmons questioned. Before Ward could answer, "Are you exhibiting any extra s-strength?" Simmons stuttered when she noticed how large his muscles were. 

  
"Why don't I find out on that guy?" Ward answered, referring to the professor on the live feed of the Cage displayed on the lab's big screen. 

  
"Why don't we _not_ do that?" Skye answered worriedly. Ward was never this open with his emotions. 

  
"What's the last thing you remember before you lost consciousness?" Fitz questioned.

  
"This is a waste of time!" Ward growled as he pulled his arm out to the blood pressure cuff. He stood up, walked to the middle of the room. "We need to find the staff!" This was so unlike Ward. 

  
"What exactly did you remember?" Fitz asked again.

  
"Something I hadn't thought about in a long time," Ward answered agitatedly. Skye turned to the other two.

  
"Why don't we just leave it alone for now?" she suggested, but FitzSimmons started rambling over each other. 

  
"QUIET!" Ward shouted before growling through clenched teeth, "I want to hear this." He turned up the volume on the feed. Phil was questioning Professor Randolf. They watch for only a few minutes before Simmons turned the screen off. Ward turned to her, "What are you doing?"

  
"Your heart rate's rising," the biochemist answered calmly, "Adrenaline's spiking. You need to calm down, not get worked up." Ward huffed before taking some deep breaths. Skye leaned in closer to him. 

  
"The memory. Was it about your brother?" she whispered. 

  
"Drop it," Ward told her. 

  
"Ward, if you need to get it out, I am here-"

  
"Right," he interrupted, "to talk. Because that's what you do. Talk and talk. Don't you ever get tired of hearing your own voice?" As he spoke, Ward was getting louder and getting more and more in Skye's face. 

  
"Ward, stop," Fitz told him. The engineer put a hand on Ward's shoulder, and the tall man moved to hit him. Fitz stepped back quickly. 

  
"Well," Simmons proclaimed, "This makes more sense. Ward, what you're experiencing, this feeling-It's chemistry."

  
"Hope so," Skye mumbled. Ward was really starting to scare her. 

  
"Yeah, spikes in his adrenocorticotropic hormone," Simmons explained while showing Skye her tablet like she did when she was helping Skye with some of her school work, "It's like those stories you hear when a mother is able to lift a car to save her baby. An adrenaline surge can create a massive-"

  
"STOP TALKING!!" Ward yelled, "Just fix it!"

  
"I wish I could," Simmons told him, "We can relieve some of the symptoms. I'm going to give you ten cc's of Benzodiazepine."

  
"Chill pill," Skye realized, "Good idea." Ward started to angrily pace.

  
"A sedative?" Ward questioned, "Not gonna happen."

  
"Yeah, well, be reasonable," Fitz argued, "Look how you're behaving."

  
"And, if I'm sedated, and we cross paths with those juiced freaks," Ward seethed at the younger man, and Skye moved toward Simmons just in case, "the ones who flip cars and smash people up, are you gonna take them on? Keep us safe? Or am I gonna have to save Simmons' ass...again?" Ward then stormed out of the lab. 

  
"That was just a biochemical reaction," Simmons said as though that made the words he'd just said less hurtful, "He didn't mean all that."

  
"No explanation necessary," Fitz replied, turning to one of his work stations. Skye nodded before exiting the lab. She went up to the command center, where she knew her mother was working. On the way, she saw Ward was setting up the punching bag in the cargo bay. When Skye entered command, Melinda looked up and frowned at her daughter's demeanor. The mother quickly scanned their surroundings before speaking. 

  
"What's wrong, Honey?" Melinda asked, keeping her voice low while she continued her search for possible locations of the final piece of the staff. Skye shook her head and took a shaky breath.

  
"Ward," the 17-year-old answered, leaning against the Holocom next to her mom, "He's been acting weird since he passed out. He was fuming down there, screaming at FitzSimmons and me. He was saying such hurtful things, and he almost hit Fitz. It was a bit scary." The mother nodded. "He's like, super angry, and he can't calm down." Melinda nodded again. 

  
"Don't worry about it, Bǎobèi," Melinda reassured the teen, "Just leave him be. I'll check in with him in a little bit. Forget anything he said."

  
"He said I talk too much," Skye pouted, and Melinda couldn't help but chuckle. 

  
"Well, I've always said that," Skye chuckled too, "But's one of those things that I love about you. You and your father tend to talk a bit too much, but you both make it so endearing."

* * *

Skye, Fitz, and Simmons stood in the command center as Ward went to stab the professor, but the man grabbed and bent the blade. Elliot Randolf was an Asgardian! There was an alien sitting on their plane! That was so awesome! How long had he been on Earth? What had he witnessed in his life? Simmons immediately wanted to cut him open and study Randolf. Skye couldn't help but think she was strange. Melinda joined them, fiddling with a tablet. 

  
"What are you doing?" Skye asked her mother. 

  
"Sealing the interrogation-room door," Melinda answered as though it was no big deal to be locking two of their own in the room with one of her prisoners, "Coulson's orders."

  
Professor Randolf told them all he knew about the staff and led them to a monastery in Ireland, where he hid the final piece. Unfortunately, Jakob Nystrom and his followers beat them there. Nystrom stabbed Randolf with the staff piece, actually injuring the alien.

  
"If you want to defeat a god, you must become one," Nystrom growled as the Asgardian hit the ground. Ward grabbed the piece that was sticking out of the alien on the floor, yelling as he pulled it out before tackling Nystom off the second-story balcony. 

  
After landing, Nystrom lifted Ward over his head and slammed him into the ground. Skye rushed to help her S.O. avoiding her parents' attempts to stop her. Melinda followed. By the time Skye got downstairs, Ward was standing over the other man who seemed to be unconscious. The staff was still in his hand. 

  
"Grant," Skye called out, "drop the staff."

  
"Get away from me," Ward growled in response. 

  
"Agent Ward," Melinda called as she approached. 

  
"This isn't you," Skye told him. Behind her, a door flung open, and several big, angry men entered. 

  
"Get back," Ward ordered, and Skye was pulled away by her mother. The Specialist picked up the second piece of the Berserker Staff. He beat the ten individuals in a matter of a few seconds before kneeling and dropping the pieces. Skye ran over. 

  
"Oh my god," she whispered, "Are you okay? Come here." Skye moved to help him up. Another door opened, and Petra Larsen entered the chappel, holding the third piece of the staff. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Skye whispered. Ward sighed and moved to grab the other parts again, but May grabbed his arm.

  
"This time, let me help," Melinda told him. She motioned for her daughter to move him. Skye watched as Melinda fought with Larsen, the Berserker staff magically coming together in Melinda's hands. She easily beat Larson. Skye worried what the effects of the staff would be on her mother after holding the entire thing, but the small nod Melinda gave her told the teen she was mostly fine. 

  
As they waited for S.H.I.E.L.D. to clean up, FitzSimmons told Skye of how her father saved Professor Randolf's life. Skye really didn't believe them. 

  
"Coulson did that?" she asked, "He just shoved his hand inside?" Her dad had a hard time sticking his hand into their Thanksgiving turkey each year. 

  
"He had to," Simmons answered, "I froze, didn't know what to do."

  
"Hey, you didn't freeze," Fitz reassured her, "You just weren't up for the idea of putting your hand into somebody else's chest." Simmons' phone began ringing while he spoke. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked to her partner. 

  
"Maybe I should jump in," she said before starting to walk away and answering the phone, "Hi, Dad."

* * *

  
Skye loved her Aunt Maria. Thanks to the incidents in this mission, the Deputy Director had given Coulson's team the night off and set them up in a hotel in Dublin. It was a fancy hotel at that! After taking a long soak in the jacuzzi bathtub, Skye went down to the bar to see if she could get a drink. Once there, she found Ward sitting on his own starring into space. Skye sat kitty-corner to him.

  
"Hey," she greeted quietly, "I could get used to turndown service and little mints on my pillow."

  
"Overnights aren't standard," Ward told her. 

  
"We deserve a nice night. You especially. How are you feeling?"

  
"Not great." There was a pregnant pause before he said, "I'm sorry for before. I'm... I'm not that guy."

  
"You're a guy who saves lives. I can overlook a little Hulk rage. No harm, no foul."

  
"Does everything just roll off your back?" he asked. 

  
"No. If it helped, I'd rage all the time, but it doesn't."

  
"What I saw..." Ward paused, "It was about my brother."

  
"I figured." Skye placed her hand on the man's arm, "I know you're not one to talk, but I'm here like I said. My shoulder's free." The two of them made eye contact, and she didn't want to break it. Skye'd always found Grant Ward attractive; how could she not? But this was a new feeling like she wanted to just lean across the bar and kiss him right there. Ward took a deep breath before looking away. 

  
"I'm beat," he said, "Another time, maybe."

  
"Well, you know where I live." They shared a smile. Ward downed his drink, and Skye watched him walk away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday, and I thought I would gift you all a chapter. I was in a big slump through the holidays there, but I am back, and working hard on this story again! Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
